In early November, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is expected to consider a draft law on deregulation in the agricultural sector. The legislation is especially important in light of the impending establishment of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area, which will accompany the EU-Ukraine Association agreement entering into force on January 1, 2016. Read more
Jocelyn Guitton, the trade affairs manager of the EU Delegation to Ukraine does not believe that the potential introduction of a Russian embargo on Ukrainian agricultural products beginning January 1, 2016 will have a dramatic impact on the Ukrainian economy. This is because agricultural exports to Russia account for only 3% of total Ukrainian trade. Read more
On Tuesday October 20, EU Ambassador Jan Tombinski delivered over €13 million of state-of-the-art equipment to the National Training Centre at the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant. The modernized centre will be commissioned in 2016. Read more
On Monday 19 October the National reform council discussed the implementation of criteria required for EU granting visa-free regime for Ukraine. President Poroshenko called on the government and the parliament to take all the steps, foreseen by the Action plan on visa liberalization. He as well emphasized that the MFA of Ukraine should provide relevant information to the European Commission by November 9. Read more
On October 1, Ukraine’s new law on the natural gas market entered into force. The law is one element of Ukraine’s obligations to harmonise national legislation with the EU’s Third Energy Package. Specifically, the law addresses the implementation of the European Parliament and Council’s Directive 2009/73/EU concerning common rules for the domestic natural gas market, and Regulation 715/2009 on conditions for access to natural gas transmission networks. How will Ukrainian consumers benefit from this legislation, and what are the challenges facing its implementation? We asked the experts. Read more
Ukrainian manufacturers have great potential to trade with EU member states. To benefit from these opportunities, manufacturers need to understand the technical requirements and procedures of the world’s biggest market. Read more
The Strategy for agriculture and rural development in Ukraine 2015-2020 was developed jointly by international and national agricultural experts together with representatives of Ukrainian ministries, civil society, businesses and donor organisations. The Ministry of agricultural policy has passed the strategy to the National Reforms Council, which will adopt it in the nearest future. To find out when it will be implemented and what it will change we talked to Oleg Samus, head of the coordination team of the strategy. Read more
Yulia Shmatchenko, a former citizen of Luhansk, has lived in Kharkiv for more than a year now. She is a journalist and works for a local newspaper. “Do internally-displaced persons have this right?” – Yulia wonders ironically if she is eligible to vote during the elections to local authorities on October 25. “I either need to be registered or show an official rent agreement, but the owners of my rental flat refuse to provide it,” she says. “It turns out that I pay taxes, but I don’t have the right to vote.” Read more
