Search for peaceful solution of political crisis in Ukraine continues. The leaders of three opposition fractions have met several times with the President and a Government Working Group with this aim. The first results achieved.
Page 2 also in this issue:
Ukraine among key partners of EU’s major innovation program Page 3
Ukraine’s tourism potential increased Page 4
Ukrainian Premier League among top 10 world leagues Page 5
Ukraine Digest, Friday, January 31, 2014
Page 2
society
Peaceful negotiation underway THE PRESIDENT of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych continues to do his utmost to achieve peaceful solution of political crisis as soon as possible, and to achieve a compromise among all the participants of political process on all the issues of the country’s development that are most topical and socially significant. With this goal, four rounds of talks were held January 22−27, 2014 by the Head of State and the members of the Working Group with the leaders of the parliamentary factions of the opposition.
New Government to be formed
In the process of negotiations on peaceful settlement of the confrontation, we have reached concrete agreements with the opposition. The government has fulfilled all its obligations under these agreements including the adoption of the Law on Amnesty that guarantees freedom and liberation of persons arrested during the conflict.» Viktor Yanukovych, Ukraine’s President
Constitution to be amended PRIME MINISTER Mykola Azarov submitted his resignation to the President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych in order to create additional opportunities for achieving broad social consensus and finding a peaceful way out of political crisis. His resignation was accepted on January 28, 2014.
Emergency state is ruled out DESPITE THE FACT that some politicians in Ukraine and abroad circulated the information on the alleged plans to introduce the state of emergency in Ukraine, and some mass media disseminated these allegations, such scenario is not under consideration by Ukrainian leadership today.
PARLIAMENTARY factions of Verkhovna Rada are discussing the Constitutional reform, which rebalances powers in Ukraine. According to Olena Lukash, Ukraine’s Minister of Justice, appropriate cross-party parliamentary commission on Constitution changes will be created on February 4, 2014. The issue was raised in the Verkhovna Rada by First President of Ukraine, Leonid Kravchuk, who addressed the MPs and called on to build trust and start constitutional reform process in the Parliament. To limit the President’s powers by coming back to Constitution-2004 was one of the opposition demands to settle the political crisis in the country.
Criminal proceedings closed SOME OF THE ACTIVISTS, who remained in custody after violent clashes with riot police have been freed on January 24. 8 criminal proceedings for mass riots in November-December 2013 having been closed under the previous amnesty law.
Amnesty Law signed UKRAINIAN LAWMAKERS have adopted amnesty law. The document foresees the amnesty of all the protesters who have currently been detained after the release by protesters of administrative buildings, local government agencies and executive authorities. A total of 232 MPs voted for this decision on January 30 and the President signed it today.
Laws abolished to cease confrontation THE ABOLITION by the Ukraine’s Parliament of the nine laws, adopted on January 16, has become an important practical result of the agreements aimed at cessation of confrontation and resolution of the crisis. The President has inacted the law repealing this legislation on January 31, 2014. www.UkraineDigest.co.uk
Ukraine Digest, Friday, January 31, 2014
Page 3
science
Ukraine among key partners of Europe’s major scientific innovation program Ukraine has been identified as one of 11 key strategic partners and the only country in Eastern Europe to join the EU scientific and innovation program Horizon 2020. Ukraine’s participation in the program ensures funding of the national science at a decent level and will allow the country to modernize and improve the national economy.
T
he initiative, which was launched on January 1, 2014, is focused on supporting research and innovation in all areas of public life – from basic science to innovation in real economy. Ukraine’s involvement will allow the country to modernize and improve the national economy. “Ukraine is among the leading EU partner countries in the program Horizon 2020,” said the international relations officer at the EU Directorate for Research and Innovation Thierry Dewars reiterating that the country had a comprehensive history of cooperation with the EU in the field of scientific programs. The EU Horizon 2020 program will be implemented from 2014 to 2020. The total amount of fund-
ing to support research and innovation amounts to an excess of EUR 70 billion. Consequently, the Commission has indicated the funding priorities over the next two years, providing researchers and businesses with the direction of EU research policy. In 2014 and 2015 alone the program will spend more than EUR 15 billion with intention to help boost Europe’s knowledge-driven economy, and tackle issues that will make a difference in people’s lives. Among the main priorities of the program is support for basic research, improvement of the production competitiveness, development of information and computer technologies (ICT), nanotechnology, new materials science, biotechnology and space. “Horizon 2020” will also search for answers to the most pressing social challenges in the health sector,
ecology and demography. An important emphasis in the program will be on attraction of innovations to the market, including public sector. This will allow to better use of the potential of scientific infrastructure and to establish advanced technical standards in Ukraine. Experts note that the program will improve performance of research and innovation activities in the joint research space in Europe and will be a key tool for the creation of the Innovation Union. Notably, on January 16, 2014 the State Agency for Science, Innovation and Informatization of Ukraine hosted a presentation of the Horizon 2020 program. According to Volodymyr Seminozhenko, Chairman of the State Agency for Science, Innovations and Informatization of Ukraine, Ukraine’s participation in “Horizon 2020” will be
another significant step in the development of sectoral cooperation with the EU. “Last year, CERN decided to grant Ukraine the status of an associate member of the organization. Today we join the most powerful European program, which will bring together all the existing European initiatives for research and innovation. This means that in the scientific and technical sphere Ukraine is already a full partner of the EU. I am convinced that in the future we will significantly deepen our cooperation in the interests of both sides,” Mr Seminozhenko said. In the past Ukraine has actively participated in the predecessor of Horizon 2020 program - FP7 - the EU research program, which took place in 20072013 and covered 309 projects of Eastern countries costing EUR 45 million. Ukraine captured EUR 26.5 million of those funds.
Today we join the most powerful European program, which will bring together all the existing European initiatives for research and innovation. This means that in the scientific and technical sphere Ukraine is already a full partner of the EU». Volodymyr Seminozhenko, Chairman of the SASIIU www.UkraineDigest.co.uk
Ukraine Digest, Friday, January 31, 2014
Page 4
tourism
In 2013 more than 26 million of tourists visited Ukraine, which is 1,5 million more than the year before.
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ccording to the World Tourism O r g a n i s at i o n Ukraine ranks 9th in Europe by the number of tourists visiting the country in 2012. International sport events are rather efficient in attracting tourists from all over the world. Ukraine succeeded in organising EURO 2012. Kyiv, Lviv, Kharkiv and Donetsk hosted football matches. Hopefully, next successful flagship event in Ukraine will be EuroBasket-2015. Ukraine is bidding to host the 2022 Winter Olympics. Lviv is envisaged to host the ice sport events while the skiing events are to be held in the Carpathian mountains.
In 2013 UNESCO added eight wooden churches, as well as the ancient city of Tauric Chersonese to the World Heritage List. Last December Petrykivka decorative painting style (Petrykivskyi rozpys) got the UNESCO status of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Last year Ukrainian and foreign air companies increased the number and expanded the geography of flights to Ukraine. Due to this the traffic flow through the Ukrainian airports in 2013 increased at 7% (to 15,1 million). By 2022 the number of foreign tourists to Ukraine is expected to reach 50 million tourists per year.
A forecast of the World Tourist Organization at the UN for future years shows that the rate of tourism growth in the whole world is 4.5%, and Ukraine is just in this trendÂť
Olena Shapovalova, Head of the State Agency of Ukraine for Tourism and Resorts
Petrykivka decorative painting style is a unique technique of Ukrainian applied art, invented by the citizens of Petrykivka, Dnipropetrovsk region
Ancient city of Tauric Chersonese founded in the 5th century BC in south-we st Crimea
Traffic flow through the Ukrainian airports in 2013 increased to 15,1 million The oldest wooden churches preserved in the Carpathians were built in 16th century www.UkraineDigest.co.uk
Ukraine Digest, Friday, January 31, 2014
Page 5
tourism
THE CRIMEA Tour Office was opened in London on 9th December, 2013. It is an official representation of the Ministry of Resorts and Tourism of Crimea in London. The Office will be engaged in the development of bilateral Ukrainian-British cooperation in the tourism domain. The opening of the Crimean representation was made possible due to the support of the Embassy of Ukraine.
Giorgy Psarev, the Deputy Prime Minister of ARC: “We invite British investors and tour operators to further develop and widen mutually beneficial cooperation with
Crimea in the tourism sector”. Crimea is a peninsula of Ukraine located on the northern coast of the Black Sea. Most visited areas are: the south shore of Crimea with cities of Yalta and Alushta, the western shore - Eupatoria and Saki, the south-eastern shore - Feodosia and Sudak. Crimea possesses significant historical and natural resources and is a region where it is possible to find practically
any type of landscape; mountain ranges and plateaus, grasslands, caves. Further Saki poses unique therapeutic mud and Eupatoria has vast empty beaches with the purest quartz sand. According to National Geographic, Crimea is among the top 20 travel destinations in 2013.
This is an important step in the process of promoting cooperation in the tourism sector between Ukraine and the UK. Crimean region in this regard is of particular interest to the Great Britain, as both have common historical heritage»
Volodymyr Khandogiy, Ukraine’s Ambassador
football The world’s top 10 football leagues: 1. England 2. Germany 3. Spain 4. Ukraine 5. Netherlands 6. Mexico 7. Argentina 8. Brazil 9. Italy 10. The United States
UKRAINIAN League has been included in the list of the world’s best football leagues this season, being only behind England, Germany and Spain, according to a ranking compiled by U.S. online newspaper Bleacher Report. “You may be surprised at first when seeing the Ukrainian Premier League this high on the list, but after a deep look, they do have a strong and enjoyable
domestic league based on the stats. The average of 1.26 goals per game played was right in the middle of the pack when judging the 10 leagues on the list, but what really stuck out was the discipline of all 16 clubs in the Eastern European league. Only 11 red cards have been handed out this season in Ukraine, which is the lowest amount across all leagues that were evaluated,” reads the report. “Another thing that stands out about Ukrainian football is that their teams do put up a good showing in Europe as represented by their 12
wins on the continental level this season. While Shakhtar Donetsk did not star in the UEFA Champions League, Chornomorets Odesa, Dynamo Kyiv and Dnipro all finished second in their respective groups in the UEFA Europa League. All four of those clubs will enter the Europa League knockout stage in February with a good chance to advance far in the tournament,” according to the report. The four statistics looked at for this ranking were goals per games played, red cards per games played, continental victories and point differential from first to last.
For more information, please, contact Oksana Kyzyma, Press Secretary of the Embassy of Ukraine to the UK
Tel.: 020 7727 6312 E-mail: press@ukremb.org.uk Address: 60 Holland Park, London W11 3SJ
Issue #2(29), January 31, 2014 In the preparation of this issue materials of UKRINFORM, WNU-Ukraine, Bleacher Report, info-kmu.com.ua were used