The newly created Office of Export Promotion at the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine will promote Ukrainian exports to overseas markets, including the EU market. Following the results of 2016, since the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union came into force, the EU has been the main trading partner of Ukraine. The positive dynamics of trade turnover will continue in 2017.
Training of potential exporters
The Office of Export Promotion (advisory body at the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine, established in December 2016 to promote Ukrainian exports to foreign markets – UCMC) should be the main source of information on what is to be done to enter the European market. The Office will also organize educational programs of varying lengths for exporters on how to use the available opportunities. Maryana Kahanyak, head of the Office of Export Promotion, noted that there was a series of business forums last year and 102 “business to business” meetings were organized at the largest of them held in France. Trade mission to Poland and Germany is planned for this year.
Elvira Sevostyanenko, president of Donetsk Chamber of Commerce, said that Donetsk Chamber of Commerce is engaged in teaching entrepreneurs from different regions of Ukraine. “We provide direct help to small and medium enterprises to enter not only European markets, but also to the markets of the Middle East and candidates for membership in the EU,” she said. The main activities include trainings on informing about the procedures and organizing trips abroad for exhibitions and “business to business” meetings to remove psychological barriers and show prospects for the market in these countries. For example, last year we organized the road-shows for businessmen from 8 regions. They visited Cyprus, Belgium, Denmark and Spain. This year another two trips are planned for agribusiness and IT.
Trade turnover with the EU
The European Union is now the main trading partner of Ukraine, and trading volumes continue to grow. This was stated by Oleksiy Rozhkov, deputy director of department for international trade and economic cooperation and European integration – Head of EU cooperation unit of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine, during the panel discussion at Ukraine Crisis Media Center. “The EU is the only significant trading partner in trade with which the positive dynamics will occur. […] Our exports will increase by about 7%, turnover – by 4%, imports from the EU – by 10%. The imports can also be considered as a positive, because 85% of them are means of production,” he stated.
Oleksiy Rozhkov added that as of today, more than 52 thousand EUR-1 certificates for exporting goods from Ukraine to the EU have been issued at no cost by the State Fiscal Service bodies. 115 Ukrainian exporters have been granted the authorized economic exporter status.
Ukrainian business is gradually entering the EU market with food products. “Currently we are on the EU market with dairy products. Initially, permission was granted to 10 companies; now – to 13 companies, 7 companies are permitted to export poultry, over 50 – honey,” informed Volodymyr Lapa, head of the State Service of Ukraine on food safety and consumer protection. As to the simplified access to Ukraine for products from the EU, now regulations on import of poultry and a new version of Order 701 regulating the conditions of livestock product importing into Ukraine are being finalized.
