Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip has described his visit to Ukraine that ended on Friday as important for Estonia's economic interests and underlined the importance of the development of relations between the European Union and Ukraine.
PM describes Ukraine visit as important for Estonia's economic interests
14th April 2013, 12:08
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Ansip said in his remarks to BNS upon return from Ukraine that Estonian entrepreneurs met in Ukraine with the minister of internal revenue, the prime minister and the president, and described the meetings as very important.
"Investments by the Arricano group controlled by Estonian businessman Hillar Teder in Ukraine are now in the range of 400 million dollars and additional investments are being planned in the range of 100 million dollars annually over a period of three years," Ansip said. "From the viewpoint of Estonian businesspeople relations between the EU and Ukraine are very important and Ukrainians' support for the EU has grown to 50 percent compared with 10 percent some time ago," the prime minister said.
Ansip said Ukraine has harmonized its legislation with EU norms and increased transparency of its business environment, as well as made tax collection more effective.
"I hope that during the Eastern Partnership meeting in Vilnius it will be possible to sign an association and free trade agreement between the EU and Ukraine. That would expand the [geographical] area of activity for our businesspeople further. There would be an addition by one-tenth to the EU market of 500 million," said the prime minister.
Besides the topics talked about during the meetings in Ukraine included projects in more efficient use of energy, in which Estonian know-how has been used. "We have jointl together carried out projects in energy saving financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, in which also know-how obtained in Estonia has been used," Ansip said. The problems related to the poor energy efficiency of Soviet-built housing are similar in both countries.
Estonia and Ukraine also have common interests in the area of transit, said Ansip. Referring to the opening of the new sea ports of Ust-Luga and Primorsk in Russia and significant increases in the capacities handled by St. Petersburg, the prime minister said Ukrainian goods headed for Europe would be welcome in Estonian ports and transit could be developed also the other way round.
In addition Ansip pointed out that the northeast Estonia based oil shale mining and oil refining group Viru Keemia Grupp (VKG) has obtained a permit to conduct oil shale exploration in Ukraine.
"When big investments are made stability of the investment environment is of utmost importance. It's very important for the investment environment to be predictable. That means not only the current year or next year but it has to be possible to imagine what will happen in ten or twenty years," Ansip told BNS.
Ansip was accompanied in Ukraine by a small business delegation made up of the real estate businessman Hillar Teder, head of the industrial group BLRT Fjodor Berman, chairman of the supervisory board of the gaming group Olympic Entertainment Group Armin Karu and CEO of the oil shale processor VKG Priit Rohumaa.