I will immediately steer clear of the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index 2012, which unsurprisingly ranks Ukraine at 144th and perceived as corrupt, simply because that will grab the mainstream headlines. Ukraine still perceived as corrupt shocker - blah blah blah - not news at all! Instead I will bring to your attention the 2012 […]
Proving me wrong - Government intervenes in currency
Yesterday I wrote this stating that it was “interesting” Ukraine was attempting to force transparency in the extraction industries - a place from where the oligarchy wealth comes, amongst others. It is interesting because it attempts to force some transparency into what and how much is extracted, and thus will give indications of what is […]
Transparency in Extractive Industries in Ukraine?
Now here is something interesting, not just because it involves transparency within the murky world of extractive industries, but the fact that this even exists in Ukraine - even if only on paper: МІНІСТЕРСТВО ЕНЕРГЕТИКИ ТА ВУГІЛЬНОЇ ПРОМИСЛОВОСТІ УКРАЇНИ НАКАЗ 02.10.2012 м. Київ № 785 Про створення багатосторонньої групи заінтересованих осіб (БГЗО) з питання імплементації […]
Combined Heating and Power plant privitisation - Ukraine
This year, the combined heating and power plants (CHP’s) for Odessa, Kharkiv, Dnepropetrovsk and Kherson are all due to be privatised. None of which seems likely between now and the end of the year due to the tender process and the clauses within the tenders. Amongst the clauses are the conversion of the plants from […]
Hryvnia devalutation almost a certainty before the year end
Pouring oil on troubled waters - EU Ambassador to Ukraine
The new head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine, (Ambassador for want of a better analogy), Jan Tombinski, seems to be doing his very best to pour oil on the somewhat choppy waters between Ukraine and the EU in efforts to smooth matters between the two sides to some degree. He recently gave a press […]
Reducing bureaucracy - Tax
After the elections - Is what happens to Ukraine that important to its neighbours?
Naturally there is a lot of interest in the forthcoming elections in Ukraine - particularly so by its immediate neighbours. To be frank, there always has been since independence was dumped in the lap of Ukraine. In fact the degree of meddling, both overtly, covertly, cleverly, clumsily, diplomatically and politically, either through direct channels or […]
Free Trade Agreements - Ukraine
Turkey looks set to be the next Free Trade Agreement negotiated and signed by the current Ukrainian government - quite possibly by the end of 2012. Quite rightly too. If there is a star economic performer in the Black Sea region over the past few years to date, it most certainly is Turkey. In all […]
Currency wars over Ukraine?
Well, I was hoping to write something truly interesting from the meeting between the CIS Prime Ministers that has been held over the past few days in Yalta. Unfortunately, not much worthy of real comment has been said or done - unless you want to include the nearing ascension of Kazakhstan and then Kyrgyzstan as […]