Well unsurprisingly the EU and Ukraine have come to trading snubs over what is increasingly likely to be something of a failure at the next EU Ukraine summit where once there was hope of initialing the DCFTA and AA. Sounds negative I know. There is still some chance these agreements will be initialed but almost […]
Clarity over Tymoshenko trade-off
November 15, 2011 by Leave a Comment
I am not even going to bother putting up all the links in which I have stated that the ultimate trade-off for the release of Tymoshenko would be the inclusion of a written guarantee in the AA with the EU. They are simply too numerous to link to. Nobody from either side has publicly said […]
Ukraine plans for Big Pharma
November 14, 2011 by Leave a Comment
As all of us who make up the great unwashed hoy polloy are aware, some political statements are easier to believe than others. Those normally easier to believe relate to the ease in which we think any particular policy can be implemented effectively and the results easily quantified in our daily lives. Most of us […]
Shelving the DCFTA and AA?
November 9, 2011 by
Well dear readers, do you remember me saying “In the meantime I am led to believe that Ukraine is preparing to take a step back from the DCFTA and AA with the EU regardless, and may not be in a rush to initial these agreements anyway until there is more of a consensus within the […]
Regional challenges 2011 - 2015
November 6, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Well it seems the Ukrainian President has instructed all regions of Ukraine to develop strategies to overcome the current difficult economic and social climate (for the most part being shared by the European continent and beyond) and create favourable conditions for those living within their administrative geographies. Those of you who read a recent post […]
Medicrime - A new international treaty
November 6, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Blimey! Did you know there is no international treaty relating to the manufacture and sale of counterfeit medical products? I mean seriously, there are international treaties on the thickness of custard, the transparency of maple syrup and the fruit content of chunky marmalade, but when it comes to knocking out a few million fake aspirin […]
WTO, Russia and Ukraine
November 6, 2011 by 1 Comment
Following on from the tail end of yesterday’s post and Russian accession to the WTO, as I briefly mentioned, it has far more ramifications for Ukraine that many will initially consider. As I stated, Ukraine has refused the invitation of joining the Russian led Customs Union on the basis that said Union would have to […]
Corruption - The Puppet Masters
October 27, 2011 by
Anybody who has put deals together in Ukraine involving commodities either domestically or for import/export will have come across smoke and mirrors, shell companies, umbrella companies, kick-backs, rebates to seemingly uninvolved foreign registered companies, intermediaries and business associates closely connected to decision makers etc. The bigger the numbers involved, the further up the slippery pole […]
Black Sea Economic Cooperation - The Next Chess Piece?
October 22, 2011 by
For those of you who have never heard of the Organisation of BSEC (Black Sea Economic Cooperation), it is hardly surprising unless you live next to the Black Sea like I do. The BSEC is a forum of 11 nations consisting of consisting of Albania, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Turkey and […]
Oil summits and strategies
September 17, 2011 by
Whilst the Black Sea Shelf/Sea of Azov exploration plot rush continues apace with the majority of the worlds big oil players and Government of Ukraine, an oil summit takes place in Kyiv involving 300 or so interested individuals/parties. More than anything else, you would imagine that market development and transparency (at least to the usual […]