The housing price index in Ukraine in the fourth quarter of 2021 amounted to 117.7% compared to the same period in 2020, the State Statistics Service reported.
At the same time, according to its data, prices in the primary market increased by 16.7%. Three-room apartments rose in price most of all – by 18.4%, least of all – one-room apartments (by 16%).
According to the State Statistics Service, in the secondary market, housing has risen in price by 18.4% over the year. One-room apartments increased the least in price – 17.9%, three-room apartments – the most (19.2%).
Compared to the third quarter of 2021, housing prices increased by 3.4%, in the primary market by 3.8%, in the secondary market by 3.1%.
Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg plans to visit Ukraine on February 7-8 to show a “clear signal of support,” OE24 has reported.
“In the midst of the aggravation of the Ukrainian crisis, Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) wants to visit the Eastern European country in early February (February 7-8),” the OE24 article says.
It is indicated that Schallenberg said this on Thursday at an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brest, France. The Austrian Foreign Minister plans to pay a visit together with his colleagues from Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
“Yes to dialogue, but certainly not the threat of tanks and missiles changing borders in the 21st century,” Schallenberg said, adding that Austria has always “taken a clear position” on Ukraine.
Export of Ukrainian agricultural foods to the countries of the European Union in 2021 grew in monetary terms by 33% compared to 2020, to $8.3 billion due to an increase in the supply of agricultural products to foreign markets and its rise in price, according to a posting on the website of the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club (UCAB) on Wednesday.
According to UCAB, the peak months for the export of agricultural products from Ukraine to the EU were December ($1 billion), October ($0.98 billion) and November ($0.97 billion). The lowest export rates were recorded in July ($0.48 billion), April ($0.49 billion) and March ($0.5 billion).
In 2021, nine quotas for duty-free exports to the EU have also been fully used, namely for honey, cereals, flour, starch, processed starch, processed tomatoes, grape and apple juice, chicken eggs, poultry meat (parts), and processed cereal products.
“Compared to 2020, the situation has changed with the use of quotas for the supply of sugar and corn to the EU, or rather with their incomplete use. As for sugar, last year the quota was used by 87% due to a shortage in the domestic market of this product. At the same time, the quota for corn was used by only 5% due to increased demand for this type of grain and the availability of more attractive export channels for Ukrainian farmers,” UCAB said, quoting its analyst Svitlana Lytvyn.
In addition, UCAB said that as of January 18, 2022, Ukraine has fully used the first-quarter quotas for the export of eggs and poultry meat to the EU, as well as the annual quota for the export of honey.
As reported, Ukraine in 2020, within the framework of a free trade area (FTA) agreement with the EU, fully used 11 quotas for duty-free export of agricultural products, while in 2019 there were 12 of them.
The main pipe enterprises of Ukraine in 2021 increased the production of pipes made of ferrous metals, according to operational data, by 15.1% compared to the previous year, to 980,700 tonnes, including 78,800 tonnes produced in December tonnes.
As a source in the government told Interfax-Ukraine, in particular, enterprises of the Ukrtruboprom association last year increased pipe production by 32.6%, to 710,500 tonnes, including 65,800 tonnes produced in December.
At the same time, the source said that after the pipe-rolling production of Interpipe Nyzhniodniprovsky Pipe Rolling Plant formally became part of Interpipe Niko Tube from April 2021, the statistics of pipe production at these enterprises changed. In accordance with the updated statistics, there was no production of pipes at Interpipe Interpipe Nyzhniodniprovsky Pipe Rolling Plant in June-December 2021, while at Interpipe Niko Tube it amounted to 57,000 tonnes last month, and in 2021 it doubled to 592,500 tonnes.
The production of pipes at Interpipe Interpipe Novomoskovsk Pipe Plant over the past year decreased by 24.3%, to 59,400 tonnes (in December it was 6,700 tonnes).
The Dnipropetrovsk Pipe Plant was idle last year, while in 2020 it produced 300 tonnes. Centravis reduced production by 2.2%, to 18,000 tonnes of stainless steel pipes (1,900 tonnes in December).
The Trubostal plant increased its output by 17.6% – up to 2 thousand tonnes of pipes (0.2 thousand tonnes).
Mariupol Illich Iron and Steel Works, which is not part of the Ukrtruboprom association, reduced the production of pipes by 28.7%, to 108,600 tonnes (in December it was 100 tonnes), Kominmet cut output by 1.3%, up to 161,600 tonnes (12,900 tonnes in December).
Ukraine has sufficient resources and capabilities to launch the first hydrogen projects and start exporting hydrogen to Germany by 2024.
President of the Ukrainian Hydrogen Council Oleksandr Repkin said this in a comment to the Green Deal portal, sharing the details of a meeting with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.
“Annalena Baerbock is responsible for the entire German climate dialogue in the foreign arena, so the topic of hydrogen is very important for her. At the meeting, we told her that at this stage Ukraine has enough resources and opportunities to launch the first and start exporting hydrogen to Germany projects by 2024,” he said.
Repkin specified that hydrogen will be transported in a mixture with natural gas through the existing gas transmission system.
“We are already ready to transport 10% concentration of hydrogen mixed with natural gas via the GTS. By 2024, subject to modernization, the percentage may be higher. The main thing is to choose an entry point, a place where you can connect to the GTS, and then it will be possible to transport the mixture,” he said.
Earlier, Foreign Minister of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba also spoke about the plans to start exporting “green” hydrogen to Germany from 2024, but with a caveat “according to the optimistic scenario.”
At the meeting with the head of German diplomacy on January 17, Kuleba once again spoke about Ukraine’s plans to become a key supplier of “green” hydrogen to the EU.
“Ukraine is actively developing renewable energy, in particular, it plans to become a key supplier of “green” hydrogen to the EU. We are strengthening energy partnership with Germany and developing a number of major projects in the production and transportation of “green” hydrogen,” the foreign minister said.
The visit of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Ukraine and Germany will take place on January 18 to 20, according to a statement released by the U.S. Department of State on Tuesday.
“In Kyiv, Blinken will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba to reinforce the United States’ commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Department of State Spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement.
According to the document, on January 20, Blinken will travel to Berlin, where he is scheduled to meet with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.
In turn, the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine said that on January 19, Blinken will pay a visit to Ukraine at the invitation of Foreign Minister Kuleba.
“The visit will be a continuation of close coordination between Ukraine and the United States in order to deter Russia from further aggression,” the ministry said.
It is noted that Kuleba and Blinken will hold talks on the further implementation of a comprehensive containment package for Russia, practical support for Ukraine by the United States, and active diplomatic efforts to resolve the Russian-Ukrainian armed conflict.”
The parties will also discuss issues of strategic partnership between Ukraine and the United States in the areas of security, trade, investment and others.
