Business news from Ukraine

EU PROPOSES TO SUSPEND FOR 1 YEAR COLLECTION OF IMPORT DUTIES ON ALL UKRAINIAN EXPORTS

The European Commission (EC) has proposed to suspend for one year the collection of import duties on all Ukrainian exports to the European Union, the EC communiqué said on Wednesday.
“I discussed with President Zelensky ways to support the economy, in addition to the macro-financial assistance and grants that we provide. We both agree on the critical importance of a quick and wide suspension of import duties to boost the economy of Ukraine,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was quoted in the message.
According to her, the suspension of duties “will greatly facilitate the export of Ukrainian industrial and agricultural goods to the EU.” She promised continued economic assistance to Kyiv.
The EC proposal also provides for the suspension for one year of all EU anti-dumping and safeguard measures in force against Ukrainian steel exports. This move, explained in Brussels, is designed to help increase Ukraine’s exports to the EU, which will alleviate the plight of Ukrainian producers and exporters in the current situation in the country.
“The EU has never before taken such trade liberalization measures, which are unprecedented in their scope: giving Ukraine access to the EU market with zero tariffs, zero quotas,” said Valdis Dombrovskis, Executive Vice President of the European Commission.
The European Commission points out that in the difficult conditions of the situation in Ukraine, the European Union wants to do everything possible to help the country “maintain its trade positions with the rest of the world and further deepen its trade relations with the EU.”
Brussels also reports that the EU is taking measures to facilitate land transport of goods to help export Ukrainian products outside the country. Thus, the European Commission has already begun liberalizing the conditions for Ukrainian truck drivers transporting goods between Ukraine and the EU, as well as actions to facilitate transit and use the EU infrastructure to direct Ukrainian exports to third countries.

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EU ALLOCATES ADDITIONAL €50 MLN FOR HUMANITARIAN AID FOR UKRAINIANS

The European Union is allocating an additional €50 million in humanitarian aid to support Ukrainians in need, according to the EU Humanitarian Projects Office.
“The EU is allocating another 50 million euros in humanitarian assistance to support Ukrainians in need. This new funding will provide emergency medical services, safe drinking water, shelters, cash assistance, support in the fight against gender-based violence,” reads a statement published in Sunday on twitter.
Later, the head of the European Union Delegation to Ukraine, Matti Maasikas, specified that the new aid package from the EU would be aimed at meeting the most pressing humanitarian needs.

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EU AND UKRAINE DISCUSS QUESTIONNAIRE ON EU ACCESSION

Representatives of the European Union met with representatives of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine in Kyiv to discuss the application for EU accession, Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine Matti Maasikas said.

“The best possible start to my first official working day back in Kyiv. Meeting with Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna, representatives of the European Commission for Neighborhood and Enlargement, the EU Delegation to Ukraine and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on the questionnaire, the basis for the EU Commission forthcoming opinion on Ukraine’s EU membership application. Working 24/7 as tasked by Ursula von der Leyen,” he said on Twitter.

As reported, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen handed over to President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky a questionnaire for joining the EU on April 9.

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PRESIDENT OF EUROPEAN COMMISSION HANDED OVER TO VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR JOINING THE EU

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, handed over to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky a questionnaire for joining the EU.

“Here we have intersecting roads, your road to the EU begins, this is already a close path. I will give you this folder, this questionnaire, here are the questions, you need to answer them. These are formal recommendations,” Leyen said at a press conference with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Friday.

Leyen stressed that Ukraine’s place is in the European family.

“We are with you in your dreams of Europe. I want to say very clearly: Ukraine has a place in the European family. We heard this statement from all your people, and we give you a positive answer to your request. This folder contains a very important stage of your arrival to this family. This is the basis for our discussions in the coming weeks,” she said.

In addition, the President of the European Commission stressed that this process will not last for years, as usual, but only weeks.

“Whatever the result, Ukraine has a very big step to recover, because Russia is brazenly destroying the infrastructure of Ukraine, the city of Ukraine. Therefore, we want to work together with you to reform Ukraine, restore Ukraine. This will positively determine Ukraine’s path to the EU “, Leyen also said.

She explained how the process usually takes place. “After a country submits an application, the Council of the EU decides that the Commission should issue its conclusion. Usually, it takes years. In the case of Ukraine, we are talking about weeks. We handed over our questionnaire, it will be filled in negotiations between Ukraine and the EU. This will be a picture of what is happening in the country, whether the country meets the Copenhagen criteria,” she said.

According to Leyen, Ukraine and the EU have agreed and committed that they will work on this important step to get all the answers to these detailed questions.

“It’s not just one question that determines our conclusion, there are a lot of questions that need to be answered. We want to work shoulder to shoulder in order to paint a picture of the country and the path to Europe. After that, the Commission issues its conclusion, which is recommendation to the Council of the EU and after that the Council is already deciding on the next steps,” she said.

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EU COUNCIL: BELARUSIAN TRUCKS MUST LEAVE EU TERRITORY

The EU Council obliged the Belarusian cargo carriers to withdraw all transport from the territory of the European Union by April 16 this year, this follows from the decision of the EU Council, published in the official journal of the European Union.
“In view of the gravity of the situation… it is appropriate to ban any road transport company established in Belarus from transporting goods by road across the territory of the Union, including in transit. Further action by the Union is required to implement this measure,” the document says.
The decision states that the ban, which came into force on April 8, for any road transport enterprises established in Belarus to transport goods by road across the EU, including in transit, “does not apply until April 16, 2022 for the transport of goods that began before April 9 April 2022, provided that the vehicle was already on the territory of the Union on April 9, 2022 or is in transit through the Union to return to Belarus.”
It is also reported that the ban does not apply to enterprises transporting mail, as well as to the supply of natural gas and oil to the EU, including refined products, as well as titanium, aluminum, copper, nickel, palladium and iron ore; pharmaceutical, medical, agricultural and food products, including wheat and fertilizers; goods for humanitarian purposes, as well as transport of diplomatic and consular representations of the EU and Member States in Belarus, including delegations, embassies and missions, or international organizations in Belarus, enjoying immunities in accordance with international law.
The decision came into force on April 9.

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NUMBER OF PEOPLE LEAVING UKRAINE FOR EU AND MOLDOVA INCREASED BY 20% ON APR 8

On April 8, 41,000 people crossed the state border from Ukraine to the EU and Moldova, compared to 34,000 the day before, about two-thirds came to Poland, which is in line with the average values, the State Border Service said in a Facebook post on Friday.
According to the data of the Polish border service on Twitter, on April 8, 27.5 thousand people entered the country from Ukraine, which is 17% more than the day before, but over the first 7 hours of Saturday, the flow decreased by 4.4% to 6.5 thousand 16.6 thousand people left Poland for Ukraine on Friday.
According to the State Border Service, the flow of people entering Ukraine on April 8 increased slightly – from 25 thousand to 26 thousand, including citizens of Ukraine – from 22 thousand to 23 thousand.
All checkpoints on the western border (except “Dzvinkove” – from 8:00 to 20:00 and “Kosino” – from 8:00 to 24:00) operate around the clock.
The State Border Service also reported that over the past day the number of registered vehicles with humanitarian cargo increased to 660 from 550 the day before.
According to UNHCR data, at 13:00 on April 8, a total of 4.36 million people left Ukraine since the beginning of the war, of which 2.56 million went to Poland, 745.07 thousand to Romania and Moldova, and 431.89 to Hungary. thousand, Russia – 389.85 thousand, Slovakia – 310.99 thousand, Belarus – 19.1 thousand.

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