Ukraine-Canada Opportunities information session

Friends,

We would like to invite you to the online information session โ€œUkraine-Canada Opportunitiesโ€, organized by CUCC in partnership with the Province of Manitoba, Canada and WTC Winnipeg, that will take place on March 03, 2021, at 18.00 CET (10 AM CST). This event is addressed first of all at the Canadian business but may be of interest for Ukrainian entrepreneurs as well. Speakers are the representatives of Ukrainian Embassy in Canada and the Canadian Embassy in Ukraine, AGI, UkraineInvest and the CUCC team. To find out more, click the link

http://www.wtcwinnipeg.com/en/event/information-session-ukraine-canada-opportunities/

We would like to take this opportunity and announce the next online event with the Province of Manitoba, which is aimed at Ukrainian businesses and will take place at the beginning of April. More details on this event will follow.

How to export to Canada – educational video series

If you are looking to grow your business through exporting, think about Canada. Each year, Canada imports over 500 billion dollars of goods and services, including from Ukraine. Small, medium, and large businesses all have the opportunity to export to Canada but need to understand the basics. These 10 videos provide the information and tools you need to ensure that your company can successfully enter the Canadian market.

The 2017 Canadaโ€“Ukraine free trade agreement (CUFTA) eliminated import duties on 98 per cent of goods exported from Ukraine to Canada. This video explains the reasons why doing business in Canada should appeal to both new and established Ukrainian exporters.
There are many opportunities for a Ukrainian company to export to Canada. However there are several steps that must be taken to ensure that your company is ready to export. This video can help you determine whether your firm has the capacity and resources to expand internationally.
Market research is the key to identifying the opportunities Canada offers and the challenges you may face. This video outlines the information you need to collect to gain insight into Canadian consumer preferences and to understand your competitors and the products they offer. The video offers links to data sources to help you conduct your market research.
If you are considering exporting to Canada, you will need to develop an export strategy that sets out your goals for exporting to the Canadian market and the actions you need to take. The information in this video will guide you step-by-step through that process.
The elimination of most duties on Ukrainian goods exported to Canada under the Canadaโ€“Ukraine free trade agreement (CUFTA) makes your products more competitive. This video walks you through the steps to determine whether your product can enter Canada duty-free.
To enter Canada duty-free, exported goods must be of Ukrainian origin. While rules of origin are somewhat complex, this video provides examples to help you determine whether your product meets those criteria. It also provides links to other useful resources.
Understanding Canadian regulatory requirements is an important step in the export planning process. Canada has both federal and provincial regulatory requirements to make sure that only safe, high-quality products can access the Canadian market. This video provides examples to help you understand what Canadian regulatory requirements may apply to your product.
Ukrainian exporters may want to consider obtaining voluntary certifications for their products. Certifications add value to your product because they provide a written assurance by an accredited certification body that a product, process, or service complies with certain standards. Learn more about voluntary certifications by watching this video.
Organic products are increasingly popular in Canada, which is the worldโ€™s sixth largest organic market. Many of Canadaโ€™s organic products are imported, which means Ukrainian organic exporters should consider Canada as an export destination. This video offers information and links to help you learn more about the opportunities for exporting organic products to Canada.
Finding Canadian buyers is often the most difficult challenge faced by Ukrainian exporters. This video offers examples of ways to connect with foreign buyers, including how to navigate the new virtual business model brought about by the 2020 global pandemic.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the law on Investment โ€œNannyโ€

Today, on February 10, 2021, the President of Ukraine signed the Law โ€œOn State Assistance to Investment Projects with the Significant Investments in Ukraineโ€.

The Law is aimed to increase state support for large investment projects exceeding EUR 30 million and lure international business to the country.

The law will offer tax benefits to big investors and provide them with so-called โ€œinvestment nannies,โ€ managers who will help them communicate with state officials, provide advice and generally help them navigate Ukrainian bureaucracy.

The law will focus on the following sectors:

  • processing industry (with some exceptions);
  • infrastructure;
  • waste management;
  • logistics;
  • education, science;
  • healthcare;
  • sports and tourism

Investors will also be able to have money allocated from state or municipal budgets to build the infrastructure needed for an investment project, including highways, communication lines, heat, gas, water and electricity supply facilities, and utilities. The total amount of state support wonโ€™t exceed 30% of the investment in a project.

https://www.president.gov.ua/news/prezident-pidpisav-zakon-shodo-derzhavnoyi-pidtrimki-investi-66453

Emma Turos, CUCC and ICBAC members met with the Head of State Property Fund of Ukraine Dmytro Sennychenko

The meeting was dedicated to discussion of a proposed amendments to the Law of Ukraine “On State Property Fund of Ukraine” and other legislative acts of Ukraine to promote investment through privatization and lease of state property”.

The purpose of the bill is to accelerate privatization by: improving the institutional mechanisms of privatization, establishing an efficient organizational structure of State Property Fund of Ukraine and clarifying certain aspects of legislation concerning privatization and corporate governance of state assets to ensure effective and responsive management while an SOE is being prepared for privatization.

According to Dmytro Sennychenko, Head of State Property Fund of Ukraine, suggested novelties will allow to protect state property rights, interests of foreign investors and make the privatization procedure more user-friendly. The Fund expects to attract a record sum of 12 bln UAH from privatization in 2021.

We will continue to follow the news on this.

More info on this meeting (in Ukrainian) http://www.spfu.gov.ua/ua/news/7179.html

New General Secretary of ICBAC – Emma Turos, CUCC-Ukraine

On January 25, 2021 Alfred F. Praus, President of the Ukrainian-Austrian Association, after serving for two years as ICBAC General Secretary, handed over the General Secretariat of the International Council of Business Associations and Chambers in Ukraine, which is rotated yearly, to Emma Turos, Managing Director of the Canada-Ukraine Chamber of Commerce.
We are looking forward to a fruitful and interesting work within the ICBAC framework and new projects to be completed. Stay tuned.

http://icbac.org/

Ukraine has opened strategic and critical minerals for international investors

January, 26, Kyiv – State Geologic and Subsoil Survey of Ukraine (hereinafter – UGS), Ukraineโ€™s national upstream regulator, together with the state agency UkraineInvest, presented a list of strategic and critical minerals, which can be bought at electronic auctions. Their extraction and development can bring more than $10 billion of investments to the country.

The Director General of UGS, Roman Opimakh, presented a unique product, called an Investment Atlas, which is available online and also in English.

The Investment Atlas contains a list of 15 minerals and currently contains 30 promising fields of strategic and critical mineral resources, inter alia lithium, which is in high demand for batteries and computers.

The so called “metals of the future” are used in high-tech industries worldwide. Titanium and beryllium are important components of aerospace technology. An investor will also find proposals of gold, tantalum, cobalt and other rare earth minerals.

A special attention was paid to hydrocarbon fields, which Ukraine is also rich for. The UGS announced a number of new oil and gas concession licenses to be sold via electronic auctions. Also, a large oil and gas โ€˜Oleskaโ€™ block with an acreage of โ€‹โ€‹6,324 km2, as the Production Sharing Agreement, was announced to be open for E&P partnership.

Ukraine has recently signed eight Production sharing agreements (hereinafter โ€“ PSAs) with the investors. The total acreages of signed PSAs cover an area of almost 10.000 km2. Total investment commitment during the first five years account for $390 million.

Ukraine also re-launched an ex-Shell PSA, โ€˜Yuzivskaโ€™ oil and gas block, with acreage of over 7,500 km2. The PSA has been re-signed between the Government, national company โ€˜Nadra of Ukraineโ€™ and the national company โ€˜Naftogaz of Ukraineโ€™.

The slides of the presentation are available online at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YgkJPOVVCP7zv7BCgJvFKBi7AdimAs8q/view

Open bids can be found under the link https://www.geo.gov.ua/en/open-bids/

***

State Geologic and Subsoil Survey of Ukraine https://www.geo.gov.ua/en

UkraineInvest https://ukraineinvest.gov.ua/

Industry recognition for N-iX, a long-time member of CUCC

We are proud to share that N-iX has been named a Rising Star in the 2020 edition of ISG Provider Lensโ„ข Analytics โ€“ Solutions and Service Partners for the UK market.

The company is recognized as one of Ukraine’s top employers according to the 2020 Forbes.ua rating and listed in the Global Outsourcing 100ยฎ for the fourth consecutive year.

Find out more https://www.n-ix.com/news/isg-recognizes-n-ix-rising-star-data-engineering/

Remembering Anna Kisil

It is with great sadness and grief, we acknowledge the passing into eternity of a charming and kind woman, caring mother, excellent organizer, and a person of a big heart โ€“ Anna Kisil.

Her life was full of outstanding achievements; everything she touched transformed into a success. Neither business projects nor community events that Panni Anna worked on had any chance of failure.

Anna Kisil was a longstanding leader and voice for Ukrainian newcomers to Canada and women’s associations, an active member of Ukrainian Canadian Congress, World Ukrainian Congress and Canada Ukraine Chamber of Commerce. Her tireless work for the benefit of the Ukrainian community in Canada and Ukraine was noticed and recognized by both countries’ governments.

No words may fully express the overwhelming grief due to the loss of a remarkable human, who Anna Kisil undoubtedly was and she will forever remain in our hearts.

We express our deepest condolences to her family and loved ones and mourn with you.

May her memory be eternal.

Key business developments ahead for Ukraine in 2018

Byย Bermet Talant
Here are the Kyiv Postโ€™s picks for some of the most exciting deals and events coming in the first half of 2018:

4G spectrum auction

The faster 4G โ€” a dream for Ukrainian mobile operators and their customers โ€” may soon come true. The state regulator finally set the date for the auction on the 1800 MHz spectrum, which includes the frequency ranges between 1710โ€“1785 MHz and 1805โ€“1880 MHz. The auction is scheduled for Feb. 26.

Ukraine launched 3G only three years, more than a decade behind European Union countries. But local providers โ€” Kyivstar, lifecell, and Vodafone โ€” are ready to roll out 4G.

New link with Europe

The Beskydy railway tunnel connecting Ukraine with Europe will be open in May, Ukraine state railway company Ukrzaliznytsya announced. The 1,822-meter long tunnel is a section of the fifth Pan-European transport corridor connecting western Ukraine with Italy, Slovenia, Hungary and Slovakia. It will boost Ukraineโ€™s trade capacity with the European Union.

New fashion brands

The first store of long-awaited Swedish retailer H&M will open in Kyivโ€™s Lavina Mall in spring. Leading Turkish retailer DeFacto plans to enter the Ukrainian market with a store in Odesaโ€™s Riviera mall, company vice president Serdar Ersoy told the Retailers Association of Ukraine.

Chornobyl solar plant

The first solar power plant in Chornobyl exclusion zone is being prepared for launch within weeks, Yevgen Varyagin, the head of the Ukrainian-German company Solar Chernobyl, told Agence-France Presse. Located 100 meters away from the new Safe Confinement, installed in 2016, a one-megawatt power plant with about 3,800 photovoltaic solar panels can cover needs of about 2,000 households. Chornobyl zoneโ€™s state administration received 60 proposals from foreign companies including Chinese, Danish and American interested in solar developments in the exclusion zone

More flights

A new Ukrainian budget airline SkyUp will start flying in April. The company promises affordable charter flights from four Ukrainian cities to 16 foreign destinations in Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Spain, Italy, Egypt, Albania, Bulgaria and Cyprus.

In addition, Bulgaria Air launches a direct flight Kyiv โ€“ Sofia in February, and Air Malta will start flying to four Ukrainian cities in April. And a Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air keeps expanding its presence in Ukraine, adding Kharkiv to its list. The company also announced two new flights from Lviv to Dortmund starting from March 26 and to Londonโ€™s Luton airport from May 1.

Privatization start

Sumy-based chemical producing plant Sumykhimprom will be put on sale in February for Hr 248.8 million ($8.7 million). Although 99.99 percent of the plant belongs to the Ukrainian government, it is de facto controlled by oligarch Dmytro Firtashโ€™s companies, according to a Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty investigation. In total, the State Property Fund plans to sell its stakes in some 100 enterprises for Hr 22.5 billion, or $773 million, this year.

 

Source: Kyiv Post