Yushchenko held a meeting with trade union leaders

News / 31 January 2008 | 18:00

President Viktor Yushchenko held a meeting today with leaders of trade unions at Trade Unions House, president’s press office reported.

Opening the meeting the President noted that trade unions should become more active in helping the government to shape social, economic, budgetary and humanitarian policy.

 

Yushchenko reminded that two years ago with the corresponding Decree he had established a National trilateral social-economic council aimed at arranging an effective dialogue between state authorities and trade unions. Besides serving a platform for discussion the council provides mechanisms of decision taking and implementation. Regarding that the President urged to appoint council’s staff members so that the council could work effectively. On the first meeting the council is to discuss main issues of social policy such as protection of vulnerable levels of society, legalization of wages, protection of protection of labor, clearing off wages debts, which currently amount to 700 million hryvnyas, etc.

 

The President also stressed that he shall insist on urgent adoption of the Law of Ukraine “On basic foundations of social dialogue in Ukraine”.  According to Yushchenko that law would clarify all sides of social dialogue rights and provide trade unions with opportunity to be an active part of the dialogue.

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Tymoshenko is ready to support Yushchenko at presidential elections

News / 31 January 2008 | 17:37

Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko is ready to support Viktor Yushchenko at next presidential elections in case cooperation between the President and PM is harmonious and reasonable. She stated that in an interview to Frankfurter Allgemeine.

“In our joint work I always was a partner whom Viktor Yushchenko can relay on, my actions were foreseeable. Since my support to Viktor Yushchenko in 2004 I always stand for conception of democratic coalition.

Now unity of democratic team is the basis for reforms and the main value is integration with the EU. I will do everything possible our work to be harmonious and reasonable. Under such condition, I am ready to support Viktor Yushchenko at presidential elections,” she said.

According to Tymoshenko, all that we do should not be one way street. President and I must by common efforts make a contribution in our cooperation.

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President greets NATO-Ukraine working group

News / 31 January 2008 | 16:40

President Viktor Yushchenko sent his greetings to the participants of NATO-Ukraine Working Group on Civil and Democratic Control of the Intelligence Sector 6^th meeting which is being held currently in Kyiv, president’s press office reported.

“Ukraine is continuously working on reaching its strategic goal – full integration with European and Euro-Atlantic structures. Reforming whole defense sector and establishing effective civil and democratic control over intelligence sector is a very important part of the process of Euro-Atlantic integration of our country,”  the President wrote in his address.

Yushchenko also expressed belief that shortly Ukraine shall reach the best international standards of security and intelligence. That will give the state the opportunity to make more substantial efforts into fighting international terrorism, organized crime, corruption, human, weapons and drugs trafficking. Thus Ukraine shall be a reliable partner for NATO and Alliance’s member states.

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Tymoshenko is the strongest woman of the year

News / 31 January 2008 | 16:00

Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko was awarded an Oscar statuette for being named the StrongestWoman of the Year by Woman’s magazine. The award was presented to Yulia Tymoshenko at the press conference on Wednesday by representatives of Woman’s magazine.

According to Yulia Tymoshenko press office, she proposed the journalists to build a model of cooperation in order to thoroughly report on the government’s work.

She proposed three options:

- Journalists come to the protocol part of the meeting in the morning and then wait until it’s over for a summary press conference, “but then they’ll have to wait, as a rule, 2-3 hours”;

- Interaction with journalists is limited to a press conference, if at the start of the meeting the government doesn’t have any “important announcements”;

- Protocol photograph at the start of the meeting and information is posted on the government portal about issues that were discussed.

The journalists at the briefing selected the first option.

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Transport Ministry plans to open Danube-Black sea channel

News / 31 January 2008 | 15:16

Transport Ministry intends to launch into operation Danube-Black sea channel. Transport Minister Yosyf Vinskyi informed today at the press conference, the ForUm’s correspondent reports.

Vinskyi noted that he is very determined in this issue. “Everybody who will impede realization of this project will be dismissed,” he said.

According to him, because of non-transparent activity of “Delta-Lotsman” company, Danube-Black sea channel is not constructed in full volume as it was expected, despite great state funds were spent on it.

Vinskyi expressed assurance that newly appointed head of “Delta-Lotsmman” Olexander Holodnitskyi could create normal work of this state company.

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Volha registered his party

News / 31 January 2008 | 14:42

Justice Ministry has registered new political party – “Union of Left Forces”. According to Justice Ministry press service, it is the 143d party, registered in Ukraine.

According to documents, submitted to Justice Ministry, decision of party formation was made at the foundation congress of political party “Union of Left Forces” on December 8, 2007.

Vasyl Volha has become a chairman of political party “Union of Left Forces”.

From April 2006 Vasyl Volha was a People’s deputy from SPU.

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EBRD becomes Ukraine’s top investor in 2007

News / 31 January 2008 | 13:44

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) became the biggest finance investor into Ukraine’s economy in 2007, the bank toldm according to cabinet press service. The aggregate annual investments amounted to USD 1 bn, as was projected at the start of the year. The bank’s contracts with Ukraine also hit a record of 32. The funds allocated under syndicated loans tripled, as compared to 2006, hitting EUR 321 M vis-a-vis the record of EUR 500 M. The number of the bank’s Kyiv-based staff increased by 30 percent, and a new regional office was opened in Dnipropetrovsk.

The bank approved two policy documents to further its activities in Ukraine, namely the Strategy for Ukraine, signed in October, and the Program of Cooperation between the EBRD and Ukraine in the Public Sector, signed in June.

A number of specific project contracts were also concluded, including a EUR 100 M loan for the communal “Kyiv Subway” and “Kyivpastrans” (bus and trolleybus) enterprises. The program stipulating provision of USD 100 M in loans for the gasoline station network “OKKO” run by OJSC “Halnaftogaz” has been implemented.

Furthermore, the EBRD granted a USD 50 M credit to Ukreximbank as part of its EUR 100 M program of cooperation with finance institutions in the domain of energy efficiency and renewable energy.

The bank also granted a USD 100 M syndicated loan to Kreditprombank.

As of early January the EBRD’s overall investment commitments with Ukraine totaled EUR 3.2 bn within 158 projects.

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How Yushchenko and Tymoshenko laughed at business forum (photo)

News / 31 January 2008 | 13:10

On January 30 President Victor Yushchenko, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and VRU chairman Arseniy Yatsenyuk took part in Ukrainian forum “State and business are partners” which gathered business groups and state authorities officials.

 

Main issues opf the forum were keeping macroeconomic stability, decreasing tax burden, VAT rebating, reforming permit and license issuing system, business checks authorities actions and energy policy.

Photos are taken from president’s press service.

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Ukraine prepares for economic integration to EU

News / 31 January 2008 | 12:00

Ukraine plans to prepare agreement on free trade zone with the EU not earlier than in September of the current year. Foreign Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Ohryzko informed today in scope of information meeting of European business association.

He noted that Ukraine would start cooperation with the EU concerning creation of free trade zone after Ukraine’s joining the WTO.

“I do not think it will be too soon. I do not think we will manage to do it by September 2008. But within a year or 14 months we must reach agreement which will allow us to approach to economic integration,” he said.

As a reminder, on January 16, 2008 Ukraine and the EU reached a compromise on export duties that removed last obstacle on the way of Ukraine to the WTO. Ukraine expects that decision on its joining the WTO can be adopted on February 5-6 at the session of General Council of the WTO.

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Tymoshenko promises EU good partnership

News / 31 January 2008 | 11:20

Fore Ukraine issue on diversification of supplies of energy resources is a question of political independence and freedom. PM Yulia Tymoshenko informed yesterday in an interview.

“That’s why all projects, connected with diversification of energy resources supplies to Ukraine simultaneously reach system of national priorities of the EU. It means we can be good partners in this issue -in construction of new transit gas corridors – trans-Caspian and trans-Black sea. It is important for Ukraine and the EU,” Tymoshenko said.

According to her, Ukraine can bee a partner at creation of gas consortium on the basis of oil pipeline “Odesa-Brody” which can be alternative corridor of oil supplies to Europe.

“We think about joint projects on production of alternative nuclear fuel for Ukraine, taking into consideration opportunities and experience of the EU,” she said.

Tymoshenko noted that Ukraine’s membership in the EU is not considered in short-term perspective, but system of gradual integration of this or that spheres is obvious.

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