Kyiv, 30 March 2007

On Thursday, March 29, 2007 at 11:30 the EU-funded project “Ukraine: Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Support Services in Priority Regions” held a press conference in the premises of the UNIAN Information Agency.

The purpose of the media meeting was on the one hand to brief the invited media on project activities implemented during the last six months and on the other hand to introduce the “Virtual Market” Enterprise Benchmarking and Business Development Services (BDS) on-line business support tools developed by the project to a wider audience. Special attention was given to the features and benefits of these on-line business development tools for both Ukrainian enterprise managers and Ukrainian management consultants and business service providers.

Mr. Philip Santens, Project Team Leader, Mr. Gennady Bilous, Deputy Head of the State Committee of Ukraine for Regulatory Policy and Entrepreneurship, Mr. Grigorios Kontzoglou, Project Manager of the Delegation of the European Commission to Ukraine and Mr. Olexiy Demchenko, Project MIS Expert, participated in the conference and addressed the assembled media representatives.

Having started in May 2006, this EU-funded project aims to improve both the SME policy development process as well as the operational skills of professional SME support service providers and facilitators.

Mr. Bilous informed the assembled media about the latest activities of the State Committee of Ukraine for Regulatory Policy and Entrepreneurship and its cooperation with international donor community, the European Union, in particular. Mr. Kotzoglou informed the media about the EU intervention and support to the Small and Medium Enterprises sector in Ukraine, its achievements and plans for future support.

Mr. Santens informed the media about project latest achievements for the last 6 months in the four major fields: training of civil servants and SME managers, dissemination of SME Development best practices, linking ties between Ukrainian and EU-based business development organisations and electronic/internet-based on-line business development tools.

The highlight of the press conference was an introduction of an electronic internet-based business information and development tool – the “Virtual Market”. This tool, which has been successfully piloted in EU Member States, and is now launched in Ukraine, will enable Ukrainian SMEs to identify on-line professional support services, business education programmes and business opportunities in Ukraine and abroad. The “Virtual Market” is now available on the website http://vm.ukraineinform.org.ua. “We are especially thrilled about the “Virtual Market” on-line business information and development tool as we think it will be a unique information source and business development service for Ukrainian businesses and business service providers, free of charge”, - emphasised Philip Santens.

Mr. Demchenko informed that when fully operational the “Virtual Market” will consist of the following independent though interlinked business service market components that will be of use to businesses, business service providers, consultants and many other organisations and individuals involved in developing small and medium sized business in Ukraine:

1) Directory of Business Service Providers (portfolios of Ukrainian business support organisations, consulting companies).

2) An access to Finance Directory (a directory of Ukrainian banks, leasing organisations, investment funds that offer financial services to local businesses).

3) An SME Benchmarking tool (business self-assessment tool that allows Ukrainian businesses to assess themselves through a questionnaire against average values obtained by European companies in a wide range of business aspects such as marketing, management, production, sales).

4) Business and Investment Opportunities Directory (a database that will allow local businesses to post business and investment opportunities while domestic and foreign business potential partners will be able to identify these opportunities posted on the “Virtual Market” through a number of customer-friendly search functions).

“The “Virtual Market” is easy to use, safe for users, free of charge with the possibility to add new instruments of business development, e.g. business and investment opportunities (which is the next tool to follow). These are its major benefits,” – underlined Mr. Demchenko.

Mr. Santens asked the media to mention the existence of the “Virtual Market” in press encouraging the Ukrainian business service providers and consultants to register in this practical tool.

For more information please contact:

Kyiv, 29 March 2007

A new website has been developed by the project “Transboundary River Basin Management, II phase for Pripyat river”, funded by the European Union, in order to collect and disseminate information on different aspects of Pripyat river basin management according to the requirements of EU Water Framework Directive and project activities and achievements. The target groups include representatives of Ministry of Environment of Ukraine and Republic of Belarus, other water management organizations at international, national and local levels, NGOs, students and water users. The web-site is bilingual (English-Russian) and comprises information about Pripyat river from Ukrainian and Belarusian side.

The website has the following sections:

- “Project description” (description of project tasks and activities),

- - “Pripyat basin description” (general information about the basin),

- “Legislation and institutional changes” (collection of relevant international and national water legislation, proposals for basin structures in Ukraine and Belarus),

- “Hydrochemistry” (results of hydrochemical surveys in the basin and interpretation of the data, monitoring network),

- “Hydromorphology” (literature of hydromorphological assessment, results of hydromoprhological survey (after its conduction in summer),

- “Hydrobiology” (methods of hydrobiological assessment, results of hydromorphological survey (after its conduction in summer),

- “Biodiversity” (description of nature reserves in the area, endangered species),

- “River Basin Management Plan” (texts of the Plan),

- “Programme of Measures” (description of priority actions for Pripyat basin),

- “Pilot projects” (information on implementation of the pilot projects),

- “Publications”,

- «Contacts and links”.

It is worth of mentioning that as far as the project is at the start of many field activities at present, more information for some chapters will be given as soon as relevant activities will be finalised. Look for our updates! Information about updates will be put as a banner at the main page.

For further information on the project please contact Stephen Parsons, Team Leader, e-mail: pripyat@i.kiev.ua

Kyiv, 28 March 2007

On Thursday, March 29, 2007 at 11:30 the EU-funded project “Ukraine: SME Support Services in Priority Regions” will hold a press conference in the premises of UNIAN Information Agency (4 Kreschatik street, conference room, 2^nd floor).

The purpose of the media meeting is on the one hand to brief the invited media on project activities implemented during the last six months and on the other hand to introduce the “Virtual Market” Enterprise Benchmarking and Business Development Services (BDS) on-line business support tools developed by the project to a wider audience. Special attention will be given to the features and benefits of these planned on-line business development tools for both Ukrainian enterprise managers and Ukrainian management consultants and business service providers.

Mr. Philip Santens, Project Team Leader, Mr. Gennady Bilous, Deputy Head of the State Committee of Ukraine for Regulatory Policy and Entrepreneurship, Mr. Grigorios Kontzoglou, Project Manager of the Delegation of the European Commission to Ukraine and Mr. Olexiy Demchenko, Project MIS Expert, will speak at this media event.

The project “SME Support Services in Priority Regions” started in May 2006 and will last through December 2007. The project aims to enhance the knowledge and skills of those involved in SME development – business consultants, advisors, trainers, educational institutions and central and regional governmental structures – with emphasis on transferring best practices of other (EU) countries. Some highlighted features of the project are:

1) Dissemination of EU models and best practice in Small and Medium Sized Enterprise (SME) support;

2) A website “On the route to SME development” also containing a “Virtual Market” – an on-line business development tool, unique for the Ukraine, that, once fully operational, will enable Ukrainian SMEs and Business Providers to gain access to enterprise benchmarking, professional business support services, sources of funding and business opportunities in Ukraine, free of charge;

3) Regional management training to civil servants, consultants and growth-oriented private companies.

The project is implemented by a consortium consisting of GFA Consulting Group of Germany (Lead Partner), PEM GmbH of Germany, the Polish Office for Economic Policy & Regional Development (EPRD) and the Ukrainian Institute for Rural Development (lRD). The State Committee of Ukraine for Regulatory Policy and Entrepreneurship is the main beneficiary of the project.

For more information and accreditation please contact:

Odesa, 28 March 2007

The European Union Border Assistance Mission is organising a photo exhibition called “Crossing the borders” which will be held from 13-15 April in Odesa and 17-26 April in Chisinau.

“The main objectives of the exhibition are to raise awareness of population of the value of free movement of goods and people across the European space and to reflect the work of the Border Guard and Customs Services together with the EU Border Assistance Mission on the Moldovan-Ukrainian border as well as to promote cross border cooperation”, explained Rosemary Thomas, Head of the Mission PR section.

The exhibition will show photos taken by Moldovan and Ukrainian photo correspondents showing border crossing points, the daily work of border guard and customs services, cross-border cooperation, border area views, EUBAM staff and people using the borders.

The opening ceremony will be attended by representatives of the border guard and customs services and other law enforcement agencies, the diplomatic missions, represented in Odesa and Chisinau, the state and city authorities, EUBAM staff and the mass media.

For additional information please contact Anastasiya Trotska, PR Assistant, EUBAM by office tel./fax (+38 0482) 36-52-74, mob. +38 050 386 89 73 or e-mail: press@eubam.org and Rosemary Thomas, Communications Officer, EUBAM, tel. (+38 0482) 36 52 63.

Kyiv, 27 March 2007

Within the Tacis Nuclear Safety Programme, financially supported by the European Commission, the EC Joint Research Centre in Petten (Netherlands), the EuropeAid Cooperation Office and the EC Delegation to Ukraine are organising a two-day “Information day" on Tacis nuclear safety projects. [Comment to be deleted: Irrelevant to the potential readers of this press release]This Information Day will take place in the Great Conference Hall of the National Academy of Science of Ukraine,on 27-28 March 2007 (presentations in English with simultaneous translation into the Russian language).

The event is the final conference of the “Dissemination of Tacis Project Results” project, whose beneficiary is the Ministry of Fuel and Energy of Ukraine, and the recipient is the National Nuclear Energy Generating Company “Energoatom”. Amongst the participants are also representatives of the State Nuclear Regulatory Committee of Ukraine, the Ministry of Emergencies of Ukraine, the Tacis Monitoring team, the EU-funded Joint Support Office project, the Ukrainian nuclear power plants (NPPs) as well Western European organisations involved in implementing Tacis nuclear safety projects. The overall aim of the Tacis Dissemination Project was to consolidate all existing documentation produced by the Tacis nuclear safety projects in Ukraine, tracing their activities from project initialisation down to updated Safety Reports.

The conference will review knowledge and experience reached during implementation of the Ukrainian NPPs' modernisation measures performed with support from Tacis projects, and will aim at sharing such experience amongst the different NPPs. For this purpose, Energoatom will implement at its headquarters a centralised electronic documentation system, aiming to archive all relevant documents and trace all mandatory steps from the identification of the safety issue down to its solving and the issuance of the necessary conformity certificate. These archived sets of documentation will further serve Energoatom for its internal information on past project results and replication while implementing modernisation measures in its various units.

Project objectives - to recollect, file and summarise all Tacis project documentation in the nuclear safety field - have been fulfilled, thanks to good co-operation between all concerned parties. More than 125 projects' documentation files have been included in the Tacis Dissemination project database, which is publicly accessible web-based database (www.jrc.nl/dissem). Besides improving Energoatom’s capacity to follow up on past project results, this will allow to use them as a primary source of information for the forthcoming nuclear safety projects to be designed with Ukraine in the framework of the new EU Nuclear Safety Instrument approved by the European Council in February 2007.

More information: European Commission Joint Research Centre, Institute for Energy, Petten (NL), Technical and Scientific Support to Tacis and Phare, Tel: +31 (0) 224 56 51 12 or by e-mail: Paolo.Contri@jrc.nl

Date: 5-6 April, Donetsk

Time: 10:00

A Training on the above mentioned topic will be done in Donetsk (from Donetsk, Lugansk, Kharkiv regions) for middle level decision makers from regional governmental offices in education, culture and tourism, health, social services, and services for minors. Also officers from youth and HIV-services and NGO managers are invited to take part in the training.

The overall goal of the training is to provide participants with a better understanding of how to strengthen support for multi-sectoral approaches to healthy life style promotion and HIV/AIDS prevention amongst youth.

The training will focus on: policy processes (a closer look into why and how governments decide); theories of lobbying; the interplay of the media and public opinion in setting the policy agenda; the design and implementation of strategic advocacy plans.

At the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

1. identify effective and ineffective approaches to the shaping of policy decisions;

2. appreciate the concepts of “issue life cycle” and “interest group matrix” and their practical implications;

3. understand the interplay of media coverage, public opinion formation and policy formulation;

4. take into account the elements above in the design and monitoring of strategic advocacy plans.

The training will be conducted by an international expert of the Project on multi sectoral cooperation and inter-organizational relations Luca Brusati and national expert Iryna Kurinna. Luca Brusati is an Associate Professor of Management with Udine State University, Italy. Also he is serving as Senior Lecturer of the Public, Non-profit and Healthcare Management Department at Bocconi University.

The training course is provided as a part of EU project “Strengthening Multi Sectoral Approaches for Healthy Life Style promotion and HIV/AIDS Prevention among Youth in Ukraine” with the support of Donetsk regional authorities and Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.

The objective of the project targeting young people and implementing comprehensive skills-based education programs at national, regional and local level in order to reduce the spread of HIV in Ukraine.

More information about the training you can get from coordinator of the project “Strengthening Multi-Sectoral Approaches towards HIV/AIDS Prevention among Youth in Ukraine” via e-mail ayprev@kiev.farlep.net or tel. +38 044 537 70 92/3.

Ian Boag said: "From its birth on 25^th of March 1957 with the signature by six countries of the Treaty of Rome that founded the European Economic Community and the treaty that founded Euroatom the EU grew to a 27 member states organisation that promotes prosperity, stability and security. It is remarkable that as countries reach the stage where they are free to choose for themselves they choose to become part of this Union. The founding fathers of a united Europe may have been far sighted enough to realise where their common endeavour would have reached in 2007. In any case I suspect they would have been few in number. For most of us it has to be enough that we know and believe that we are travelling in the right direction."

Reinhard Schäfers added: "Today the European Union has become a reality of every day life of - by now - almost 500 Mio. people. At the time, the EU has brought about a complete realignment of the European family of nations. 27 states - independent of their respective size - are cooperating closely in all kinds of spheres on the basis of mutual respect and equal rights. Furthermore, the EU is about practical solidarity, not least in the economic and financial fields. In spite of quite some structural and practical shortcomings the European integration process is rightly seen as a unique, historical success story".

The 50^th anniversary of the EU is significant for Ukraine since it is a proof that Ukraine has a stable and reliable partner. The European Union is supportive of Ukraine's European aspirations and helps bringing the country closer to the European Union. The granting of market economy status, the support for membership of the WTO, the willingness to negotiate a deep Free Trade Agreement, the conclusion of a visa facilitation agreement, co-operation in the field of energy, the new enhanced agreement the negotiations of which started on 5 March, increased allocations under TACIS and the ENPI, the Action Plan under the European Neighbourhood Policy have but one goal – to increase Ukraine's approximation process towards the European Union and to confirm Ukraine's position as an important member of the European family.

More information on the celebrations of the 50^th anniversary of the EU:

http://europa.eu/50

Delegation of the European Commission to Ukraine and Belarus:

www.delukr.ec.europa.eu

German Presidency:

www.eu2007.de

Kyiv, 22 March 2007

On March 13-15, the third seminar for 12 socially oriented regional micro projects, funded by the European Union, took place in Kyiv at the Hotel "Verkhovyna". This seminar has been the last one in the framework the EU funded project “Strengthening Civil Society”. It gathered representatives from Volyn, Rivne, Donetsk, Mykolaiv and Kherson regions to strengthen their reporting and project development skills and discuss a number of issues. As previously, trainers were Belgian expert Mark Delmartinî and expert of the Project Tetiana Katsbert.

The seminar program was rich in content and outlined interesting and relevant topics: further strengthening of organizational capacity, possibilities of funding of new projects from foreign, local and state funds, development of new project ideas. During the training, the narrative and financial reporting format was presented to the micro projects. A separate section was dedicated to the strategic planning for an organisation where participants shared their experience in writing a strategic plan and expressed their visions of a current state and ideal picture of their organisation in a creative way.

Team leader of the Project Christine Leiser and NGO LA experts from region-relevant SPCs were actively involved in the seminar and have jointly conducted individual consultations with the micro projects getting feedback on the monitoring visits and discussing sustainability action plan. Apart from that, Helga Pender, expert of the Delegation of the European Commission in Ukraine, has answered some questions concerning financial reporting. All the organisations also had a chance to present themselves through PR materials and tell their success stories.

Friendliness of the participants, their cooperation mood and interesting joint tasks all contributed to the establishment of a comfortable friendly atmosphere, ideal for work and leisure. Participants' farewell words were "See you in Evpatoria" where the Project's final conference will take place on April 25-26, with a separate section on success in realization of the micro projects.

For more information about micro projects, please visit www.civilsociety.org.ua.

Contact person: Tetiana Katsbert, tkatsbert@civilsociety.org.ua

Ukrainian-European Policy and Legal Advice Centre (UEPLAC) held a round table on the European Union Law

A round table Fundamentals of the European Union’s Legal Order took place on 22 March 2007 at 14:00 in the premises of the Verkhovna Rada Committees.

This target oriented event aimed at enhancing of the level of knowledge of the Ukrainian officials on the issues of the European Union’s Legal Order. Good understanding of the principles of the EU legislation creates the basis of the National Strategy of European integration, namely of the process of legal approximation. Such initiatives might present a great interest, particularly in light of enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement negotiations.

The participants have discussed the concept of the European Union, general principles of the European Union Law, the division of competences between the European Union and the Member States as well as perspectives for Ukraine in light of the European Neighborhood Policy. The latest trends in these spheres in the European Union and its bodies were presented by Dr Lubomir Fogas, UEPLAC Senior Legal Approximation Adviser, former Vice Prime Minister of Slovak Republic in charge of European Integration and Prof. Vlasta Kunova, Senior Lecturer of Bratislava University, Faculty of Law, Slovakia together with Mrs. Nataliya Prokopovych, Chairman, Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on European Integration Issues and Dr Jolanta Taczynska, UEPLAC Team Leader.

For more information, please contact Ms Angela Markova at (044) 278 85 69

- 7 video stockshots to be used to illustrate news subjects on the 50^th anniversary:

- History of the Treaties 1957-2005 (39 minutes 12' duration) (I-053632)

- History of the Construction of Europe (including the
Marshall Plan, internal market, Euro, agriculture, enlargement, science, regions, immigration….) (7 minutes 21' duration) (I-053633)

- History of the Internal Market (10 minutes 26' duration) (I-053634)

- History of the Common Agricultural Policy (13 minutes 41' duration)
(I-053635)

- History of European Agriculture (12 minutes 43' duration) (I-053636)

- History of the Single Currency (15 minutes 16' duration) (I-053647)

- History of European Humanitarian Aid (14 minutes 18' duration) (I-053638)

- A selection of speeches by the European Founding Fathers (Churchill, Schuman, Monnet, others) (MP3 format) 

- A selection of 50 photos retracing the pivotal points in the construction of Europe.
Available in both high definition ("Poster" format) and in medium definition (JPEG for newspapers) as well as a Power Point presentation (with EN/FR legends)

- Extended news coverage of events in Brussels, Rome and Berlin will be available on EbS. 

For viewing and downloading, please go to: http://ec.europa.eu/avservices/50/index_en.cfm

Kyiv, 21 March 2007

On 25 March 2007, the European Union will be celebrating its 50^th Anniversary. On this occasion, various events will be organised all over Europe, including the first ever EU Youth Summit in Rome on 23-25 March and an unofficial summit of EU leaders in Berlin where a political declaration setting out Europe’s values and ambitions for the future is expected to be issued. In its turn, the EC Delegation to Ukraine arranges a lecture for students "50 Years of the Treaty of Rome – 50 Years of Stability, Peace, and Prosperity". The lecture will be delivered on 23 March 2007 at 4 pm at Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University (64, Volodymyrska Street). The speakers include the German Ambassador to Ukraine, Reinhard Schäfers, Ambassador Ian Boag, Head of the EC Delegation to Ukraine, Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Andriy Veselovsky and Mr Vitaliy Kopiyka, Professor at Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University. Furthermore, a film on the history of the European Union will be presented. After the lecture, between 17:30 and 17:45, Ambassador Boag and Ambassador Schäfers will give a press conference in room 205.
More information on the celebrations of the 50^th anniversary of the EU: 

http://europa.eu/50

For accreditation please contact Ms Olha Korniychuk, Press Officer, CE Delegation to Ukraine, tel.: (044) 390 80 10 or e-mail: olha.korniychuk@ec.europa.eu

Kyiv, 20 March 2007

A round table Fundamentals of the European Union’s Legal Order is going to take place on 22 March 2007 at 14:00 in the premises of the Committees of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, 3-a, Sadova St.

Seminar aims at enhancing of the level of knowledge of the Ukrainian officials on the issues of the European Union’s Legal Order. Good understanding of the principles of the EU legislation creates the basis of the National Strategy of European integration, namely of the process of legal approximation. Such initiatives might present a great interest, particularly with a view of enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement negotiations.

For this reason UEPLAC invited a wide range of participants, i.a. MPs and representatives of the Secretariat of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and its committees.

The latest trends in the European Union and its Bodies will be presented by Dr Lubomir Fogas, UEPLAC Senior Legal Approximation Adviser, former Vice Prime Minister of Slovak Republic in charge of European Integration and Prof. Vlasta Kunova, Senior Lecturer of Bratislava University, Faculty of Law, Slovakia together with Ms. Nataliya Prokopovych, Chairman, Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on European Integration Issues and Dr Jolanta Taczynska, UEPLAC Team Leader.

Contact person: Anzhela Markova (044) 278 85 69

Kyiv, 19 March 2007

On March 26-28, 2007 the Project is delivering a training course for selected civil servants from Rivne, Chernigiv and Zhytomyr Oblasts in effective communication skills.

The training course to be provided has been specifically developed for the identified civil servants based on a Training Needs’ Analysis carried out by the project in a previous project stage.

The purpose of the training course is to contribute to the capacity building and management development of key public service managers involved in SME development and enterprise support.

The actual training will cover the following three main effective communication skills themes:

1) Managing information communication;

2) Managing interpersonal communication;

3) Communication via presentation.

After the training course the participants will be able to:

1) Understand and explain the importance of communication in management;

2) Understand and explain the different types of communication and be able to choose between them the appropriate approach ;

3) Evaluate reports and differentiate bad reports from good reports;

4) Understand different types of meetings and prepare for each one appropriately;

5) Explain and use different types of questions;

6) Apply delegation and feedback skills in their daily work;

7) Understand and explain the difference between listening and hearing;

8) Understand and explain paralanguage and its impact on communication.

The training course will be highly participatory and will consist of group exercises, case studies and action-oriented training sessions.

For more information please contact:

Kyiv, 19 March 2007

Within the “Promoting young workers interests through social partnership channels” project, financially supported by the European Commission (Tacis IBPP) and carried out in close cooperation with the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the Social Development Agency (SDA, Belgium) is organising a two days’ conference on “Decent Work for Young People”. The venue of the Conference shall be the headquarters of the Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine (FPU) at 2 Maidan Nezalezhnosti, Kiev. The Conference shall be held on 20-21 March 2007 with Russian and English as the working languages.

The partners of the project are the Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine (FPU) and the Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine (KVPU); among the participants are also representatives of the All-Ukrainian Association of Workers Solidarity (VOST). The overall aim of the project is to promote interests of the working youth in the Ukrainian society through mobilising participation of young workers in the processes of social partnership and dialog and through enabling trade union organisations to address specific needs and interests of young workers.

The conference will be discussing the role of trade unions, the government and the employers in ensuring decent working conditions for young people. Apart from trade union activists and members, representatives of the social partners – individual ministries and employers’ associations – are invited to participate. Representatives of the European Commission and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) are also likely to take part. The conference is aimed at analyzing the activities of the three parties of social partnership (trade unions, government, employers) and the situation of young workers in the labour market of Ukraine and in trade unions, at familiarizing the organizations with the available national and international instruments of providing decent jobs for young workers, as well as at formulating the position of trade unions in terms of ensuring decent work for young people and drafting recommendations to the national trade union centres, respective governmental bodies and employers’ associations. Over 100 trade union activists from different organizations, regions and sectors of Ukrainian economy, as well as representatives of social partners and international organizations are expected to participate.

A press conference for the media is planned within the second day of the Conference. For more information about the Conference, please contact Tatiana Sapozhnikova (+38044 278-0162, stv@fpsu.org.ua) or the ITUC Moscow Office (+7495 9387356, ituc.mos@gmail.com).

Kyiv, March 15, 2007

During March, 2007 the EU-funded project “Ukraine: SME Support Services in Priority Regions” will organise in joint cooperation with the State Committee of Ukraine for Regulatory Policy and Entrepreneurship three regional seminars on the alleviation of administrative barriers for SMEs and the improvement of SME regulatory policy.

The objective of these round tables is to identify the attitudes of regional stakeholders towards the problems caused by administrative barriers for small and medium sized business development and the increasing of state efficiency and effectiveness in regulatory SME policy. The roundtables also intend to facilitate the formulation of a set of recommendations for the Ukrainian government on improving the general business environment in Ukraine.

During the round tables the following issues will be discussed:

• What administrative barriers hinder small and medium business development in Ukraine?

• What are the reasons for these barriers?

• What prevents more effective and efficient state regulatory policy development?

• What are the steps to be undertaken by the various levels of Ukrainian government in order to reduce the administrative barriers and improve the state regulatory policy?

The participants of the round tables will be representatives of state authorities, public organisations, regional businesses, regional business support organisation, independent experts and scientists.

For more information please contact:

Odesa, 14 March 2007

“The Mission has noted improvements in a number of areas covered in the Needs Assessment and Recommendations Report it issued last year” said Ferenc Banfi, Head of the European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM) following a meeting of the EUBAM Advisory Board yesterday.

“The most progress has been made in counteracting illegal border crossings, developing risk analysis capacities and the intensification of interagency co-operation and complementarity. This brings our counterparts nearer to the integrated border management system which would align Moldova and Ukraine more closely with European standards. However, it’s clear that much work remains to be done if this objective is to be achieved. In particular, we see significant room for improvement in addressing structural issues and building up operational and institutional capacity. The timescale of the Mission’s current mandate will allow us to support our counterparts in laying the foundations for further development in key area, but further support will be necessary if these developments are to be nurtured into a sustainable progression towards European standards.”

General Banfi reported to the Board about the key observations made by the Mission. “As the Mission has increased its knowledge of its Area of Responsibility, it has focussed on the following priority areas:

- smuggling of goods /cigarette, alcohol, foodstuff etc/ on the Moldovan-Ukrainian border including the Transdnistrian segment

- customs valuation fraud including forged documents relating to the import of goods into Ukraine via free economic zones in Moldova and to the illegal re-export of these goods;

- illegal migration which includes the use of forged documentation including Schengen visas;

- trafficking in human beings;

- drug trafficking.”

Ambassador Ian Boag, Head of the EC Delegation to Ukraine and Belarus chaired the meeting. “The Board welcomed the continuing implementation of the Joint Declaration on the new customs regime. The Mission continues to monitor the registration of companies based in the Transnistrian region of Moldova. 287 such companies are registered and EUBAM believes that all the companies wishing to engage in export/import activities are doing so,” he said.

At its fifth quarterly meeting, the Advisory Board reviewed the Mission’s activity from December 2006 to February 2007 and welcomed the progress that had been made in fulfilling the Mission’s mandate. The Board approved the Missions’ Action Plan for 2007 and welcomed the contribution this would make to systematising the capacity-building work carried out by the Mission. The Board was up-dated on the implementation of the EC-financed BOMMOLUK project which is being coordinated by the Mission. Twelve study tours for Moldovan and Ukrainian officials are included in the Bommoluk 1 project. Study tours are planned for Croatia, Austria, Greece and Macedonia and will take place between April and May 2007.

The Board heard about the Mission’s growing cooperation with the Ministries of the Interior, the Security Services, the Ministries of Justice and the Prosecutors Offices and decided to offer these bodies observer status at future meetings the Advisory Board.

For additional information please contact Anastasiya Trotska, PR Assistant, EUBAM by office tel./fax (+38 0482) 36-52-74, mob. +38 050 386 89 73 or e-mail: press@eubam.org.

Odesa, 12 March 2007

You are invited to a press conference on the occasion of the 5^th Advisory Board Meeting of the European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine which will take place on Tuesday 13 March at 1415 at the EUBAM headquarters (13, Uyutna str., Odesa).

The press conference will be attended by:

The agenda will be:

- discussion of the results of EUBAM activity for December 2006 – February 2007;

- report by Border Guard and Customs Services of Moldova and Ukraine on the state of implementation of the EUBAM recommendations;

- presentation of EUBAM Action Plan for February-November 2007;

- extension of cooperation to the Security Services, the Ministries of Internal Affairs, the Ministers of Justice and the General Prosecutors Officers of Moldova and Ukraine.

Editor’s Note:

The EU Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine was launched on 30 November 2005 following the joint request of the Presidents of Moldova and Ukraine for assistance.

Its aims are:

- to work with Moldova and Ukraine to harmonise their border management standards and procedures with those prevalent in EU member states;

- to help enhance the professional capacities of the Moldovan and Ukrainian customs and border guard services at operational level;

- to develop risk analysis capacities;

- to improve co-operation and complementarity between the border guard and customs services and with other law enforcement agencies;

- to promote cross-border co-operation.

The Advisory Board was set up under the Border Assistance Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Governments of Moldova and Ukraine, and the European Commission. It meets every three months to review progress in the achievement of the mission’s objectives.

Places are limited. To apply for accreditation or to bid for an interview with participants of the press conference please call on office tel. +38 0482 36-52-74 or mob. +38 050 386 89 73 or e-mail: press@eubam.org.

Contact: Anastasiya Trotska, PR Assistant, EUBAM.

On the occasion of 2007 Women's International Day 2007, the European Commission has launched a competition calling on children in third countries to express their vision of women/men equality. Their participation will testify the creativity, enthusiasm and the integration of the concept of "gender" in the spirit of the children, and more particularly in those of the age group 8-10, in the third countries. A prize of ˆ 1.000 per region (Africa Caribbean Pacific, Latin America, Asia and the European Neighbourhood-Mediterranean region) will be offered to the winner and his school.

European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighborhood Policy Benita Ferrero-Waldner said on the occasion of the International Women's Day: “Around the world women continue to suffer horrific domestic violence, discrimination and persecution. Discussing their plight is often taboo, but on International Women’s Day it is our responsibility to bring it out into the open. Protecting women’s rights and empowering them as decision-makers are fundamental principles of the European Union’s work across the globe.

Wherever we work we take women’s rights into account. From the Maghreb to Bangladesh to Colombia we are promoting women’s participation in political life; fighting trafficking of women and children; and tackling harmful traditional practices, including female genital mutilation, honor killings and forced marriage. Even a project on sustainable forestry or earthquake reconstruction has a specific component to empower women.

This work must and will continue. Abuses of women’s rights – women’s human rights – are simply unacceptable. On International Women’s Day we signal to those complicit in such abuses that they do not go unnoticed. Our objective must be for women’s rights to be respected and protected throughout the world. That is what will continue to guide my work in the months and years to come.”

All interested schools may get more information from the European Commission Delegation of their country, or on the following website:

http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/projects/gender/index_en.htm

Brussels, 7 March 2007

European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, Benita Ferrero Waldner, will announce on the occasion of her meeting with President Viktor Yushchenko on 8 March, that the European Commission will provide a substantial increase in financial assistance to Ukraine over the next four years. An amount of ˆ494 million should be available 2007-2010 to support the reform process and the implementation of the EU-Ukraine Action Plan. This represents a substantial increase compared to funding provided in the past. In addition, Ukraine will benefit from increased lending by the European Investment Bank.

Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner said: “Ukraine has made remarkable progress in democratic and economic reforms since the Orange Revolution. With our enhanced financial assistance we will support the country to continue with its reform efforts. Our assistance will focus in particular on strengthening good governance and democratic institutions, bringing Ukrainian legislation and standards closer to those of the EU and supporting cooperation in key sectors such as energy, transport and the environment.”

Key EU assistance activities over the period 2007-2010 will include:

• Support for the implementation of the EU-Ukraine Memorandum of Understanding on Energy to promote the progressive integration of the Ukrainian energy market with that of the EU, the development of gas and oil infrastructure and progress on energy efficiency, and the use of renewable energy resources.

• Support to strengthen Ukraine’s capacities in the areas of border and migration management against the background of the forthcoming entry into force of a Visa Facilitation and Readmission Agreement between the EU and Ukraine.

• Support to strengthen the independence and effectiveness of the judiciary and to ensure the impartiality and independence of prosecution.

• Support to address environmental challenges, notably in the areas of climate change and improved water quality.

In addition to this assistance, Ukraine will be eligible to draw on the proposed Neighbourhood Investment Fund. This Fund will be used to leverage additional lending from financial institutions including the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). A Governance Facility is being created to provide additional support on top of normal country allocations to acknowledge and support the work of ENP partner countries that have made most progress in implementing their Action Plans.

EU Assistance to Ukraine

The EU is the largest donor to Ukraine and has since 1991 provided assistance worth well over ˆ2 billion, mainly under its Tacis programme. During the last programming period 2004-2006 planned EU assistance amounted to ˆ212 million. The yearly average was ˆ70.7 million per year in 2004-06 and is ˆ123.5 million per year in 2007-10. EU assistance over the last programming period focused on three priority areas: i) Support for institutional, legal and administrative reform, ii) support for private sector and economic development and iii) support in addressing the social consequences of transition. EU assistance is also provided to strengthen nuclear safety and for the destruction of anti-personnel landmines.

European Investment Bank (EIB) lending

Under its new external mandate 2007-2013, a lending mandate of up to ˆ12.4 billion will be available for European Neighbourhood and Partnership countries including ˆ3.7 billion for Eastern Europe, the Southern Caucasus and Russia.

For more information:

http://ec.europa.eu/comm/external_relations/ukraine/intro/index.htm

http://ec.europa.eu/world/enp/partners/enp_ukraine_en.htm

Emma Udwin +32.2.29 59577

Christina Müschen +32.2.29 80373

Kyiv, 5 March 2007

The European Commission would like to clarify the situation with regard to certain media reports which stated that Ukraine can now export milk and eggs to the EU. While progress has certainly been made in moving towards such trade, there are still a number of procedures to be completed before Ukraine will be allowed to export these products to the EU.

As widely reported, an important step forward has recently been made, with the Commission approval of Ukraine's residue monitoring plans for milk and eggs. This was done through Decision 2007/115/EC, which entered into force on 24 February 2007. The approval of the residue monitoring plans is a significant part of the EU authorisation process for third country exports. However, it is not the final stage.

For milk products, the Ukrainian authorities were also asked to answer a detailed questionnaire on their animal and public health controls in this sector. The European Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) is currently evaluating the Ukrainian replies to this questionnaire, which will take some weeks. If the FVO gives a positive evaluation of these replies, it will then arrange an inspection visit to Ukraine. The purpose of this inspection will be to verify that the animal health and food safety situation in the milk sector is in line with EU standards. Should the outcome of the FVO visit be positive, the Ukrainian authorities will be asked to submit a list of milk establishments for which they can guarantee compliance with EU hygiene legislation. These will then be added to the EU list of third country establishments authorised for export and they will be allowed to sell milk to any Member State.

For eggs, the Commission has requested that the Ukrainian authorities provide guarantees that all eggs destined for the EU will be pasteurised. Only after such guarantees have been given will Ukrainian eggs be authorised for export to the EU.

All of the above procedures are standard practice for any third country wishing to export animal products to the EU.

For more information please contact Olha Korniychuk, Press Officer, EC Degation to Ukraine and Belarus, tel.: (044) 390 80 10 or e-mail: olha.korniychuk@ec.europa.eu

Kyiv, 5 March 2007

The European Commission, through the EU-Tacis programme, has signed today the first two contracts with the Twinning Partners of the projects from Ukraine and the European Union Member States. As a result of an intensive work implemented in Ukraine by the Programme Administration Office, the EC Delegation, the Beneficiary Ministries and other stakeholders the event took place on the First Anniversary of the Launching Seminar of Twinning in Ukraine, in March 2006.

The Twinning initiative is implemented under the aegis of European Neighbourhood Policy, and in pursuance of the EU-Ukraine Partnership and Co-operation Agreement. The European Commission is pleased to welcome Ukraine’s pioneering role in deployment of benefits of the Twinning in the region, and hopes that the Ukrainian example provides stimulus not only to institutional reforms in Ukraine, but also to other countries in the region like Moldova, Azerbaijan and others that have started preparing their own Twinning programmes.

Launching Twinning operations opens new opportunities for Ukraine to reform its public administration by way of implementing proven and up-to-date approaches and practices in operation of its public bodies. Twinning will contribute to the development of a network between public administrations of the EU Member States and Ukraine and the intensifying co-operation will promote making the next steps towards the integration of Ukraine into the European Union in the field of public administration.

The first two Twinning projects will be implemented by the State Administration of Ukraine for Aviation Safety (SAA) and its French and Polish Partners, while the second, by the National Electricity Regulatory Commission of Ukraine (NERC) together with Italian Partners. The projects are aimed at improving quality of their work through harmonization of their standards and regulations with respective EU legislation, achieving organizational changes and upgrading professional knowledge and skills. Substantive results produced by these projects may become a powerful incentive for the implementation of Twinning operations in many other public administration bodies throughout Ukraine.

The European Union provides EURO 1 million for the twinning in civil aviation safety and EURO 1.1 million for the initiative on harmonization of the electricity regulation. The planned duration of the projects is 18 and 25 months respectively.

Brussels, 5 March 2007

European Commissioner for External Relations and Neighbourhood Policy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, and the Ukrainian chief-negotiator, Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Veselovsky will meet on Monday on the occasion of the official start of the negotiations on a new Enhanced Agreement. The new agreement will reflect on the strategic importance of developing EU-Ukraine relations: The main aim is to draw Ukraine closer to the EU, enhance political cooperation, increase trade and investment and thus contribute to economic development and prosperity in Ukraine. Negotiations will open new prospects for EU-Ukraine relations, including a Free Trade Area and a deeper partnership on energy.

Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner said: “Ukraine has made remarkable progress in democratic and economic reform since the Orange Revolution. The negotiations of the new agreement will bring Ukraine and the EU yet another step closer together. The negotiations of a free trade area will deepen our economic integration, while further political cooperation will advance areas such as democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Ukraine is also a key energy partner for the EU, and the new agreement will help us to go further in ensuring energy security, improving energy safety, and environmental standards, and progress towards integration of our electricity and gas markets.”

Following the adoption of the EU negotiating directives by the Council of the European Union on 22 January, the European Commission now swiftly launches negotiations on a new Enhanced Agreement between the EU and Ukraine. The Agreement aims to deepen political cooperation on democracy, human rights and rule of law, to establish a deep and comprehensive free trade area, increase energy security, and strengthen co-operation on key areas such as justice, freedom and security, environment, transport and people-to-people exchanges, especially of students. The establishment of a free trade area, which will be integral part of the Agreement, will be negotiated once Ukraine has finalised its accession process to the WTO.

For more information in EU-Ukraine relations:

http://ec.europa.eu/comm/external_relations/ukraine/intro/index.htm

Emma Udwin +32 29 59577

Chrsitina Müschen +32 29 80373

Odesa, 2 March 2007

The Polish Minister of the Interior, Janusz Kaczmarek visited the HQ of the European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM) today. He was briefed on the EUBAM’s activities by the Head of Mission, Ferenc Banfi.

Following the meeting the Minister said: “It was very interesting to hear about the Mission’s activities in enhancing border management capabilities. The border-related challenges faced in Ukraine and Moldova are the same as those faced by other European states; we have to work together to meet those challenges. Poland has many years of experience in this area and is currently working with Ukraine on a range of border issues. It is in the common European interest to promote the efficient movement of trade and people over European borders, so it makes sense to harmonise standards and procedures. The Mission is making an important contribution in this regard and Poland will continue its support for the Mission.”

Following his meeting with the Head of Mission, the Minister met members of the Polish contingent working at the Mission and heard about their experiences of working in the region. The Minister visited the Mission as part of a wider visit to Ukraine and Moldova which includes discussions with the Ministries of the Interior and the Border Guard Services of both states. The Minister is leading a delegation which includes Wieslaw Tarka, Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Interior and Adminstration, Konrad Kornatowski, Commander in Chief of the Police, and Jacek Bajger, Deputy Commander in Chief of the Border Guard. Wieslaw Mazur, the Consul-General of Poland in Odessa and Leszek Szerepka, the Political Counsellor of the Polish Embassy in Kyiv accompanied the Minister during his trip to Odessa.

General Banfi, the Head of EUBAM emphasised the Mission’s efforts to promote cross-border cooperation on border issues and noted the importance of states such as Poland in this regard. “Poland plays a particularly important role as one of the EU member states on the external border of the EU”, he said. “EUBAM is grateful to Poland for the consistent and practical support it is giving to the Mission, including the direct secondment and funding of fifteen of its own national customs and border experts to work at the Mission; this is the single largest national contingent in EUBAM. It is good for the Mission to know that we can continue to count on Poland’s assistance.”

As well as its contribution to EUBAM, the Polish Border Guard is working with their Ukrainian counterparts to help develop their risk analysis capacity.

For additional information please contact Anastasiya Trotska, PR Assistant, EUBAM by office tel./fax (+38 0482) 36-52-74, mob. +38 050 386 89 73 or e-mail: press@eubam.org and Rosemary Thomas, Communications Officer, EUBAM, tel. (+38 0482) 36 52 63.

Kyiv, 1 March 2007

A Training seminar will be held from February 28 till March 2, 2007 within the framework of the EU project “Strengthening Multi-Sectoral Approaches towards HIV/AIDS Prevention among Youth in Ukraine” in Kyiv, 8/14 Turhenivska street, in the multi-sectoral training center of the Drahomanov pedagogical university. With the help of the funds of this EU project this center was equipped with all necessary facilities for interactive multi sectoral communication and for carrying out strategic planning seminars.

The aim of the seminar is to reinforce methodological foundations and build capacity of human resources for monitoring and evaluation of health education programs, in particular for HIV/AIDS program. Target beneficiaries are pedagogical personnel involved in monitoring and evaluation in the Kyiv region. This is the second program to be held for the Kyiv region which will gather 20 participants.

The training program includes: issue of monitoring research in the system of preventive education, the presentation and overview of monitoring and evaluation manual “Fundamentals of Health”: interaction of monitoring and evaluation, comparing evaluation with audit, method of sampling in monitoring and evaluation process, indicators etc., visit to the Monitoring and Evaluation Center of the Ministry of Education and Science in Kyiv, on Sagaidachniy street and also visiting the Sviatoshino and Obolon district centers in Kyiv, work with documentation on control and supervision, preliminary results of analysis of basic data of the new program for 5^th and 6^th grades in 9 pilot regions.

Besides, among issues to be discussed also are HIV/AIDS epidemic, characteristic and types of epidemic, demographic, socio-economic and political preconditions, epidemiological prognosis for HIV/AIDS in Ukraine, technologies of biological control of HIV/AIDS and risk groups, the second generation HIV/AIDS, problematic areas of HIV/AIDS response in Ukraine, including monitoring level of knowledge and behavior, evaluation of effectiveness of projects and programs.

The training will be conducted by leading experts: Dr. Konstantin Pop, international expert who heads the monitoring and evaluation component of the EU project, Elena Patrikeeva, chief of monitoring and evaluation unit of the Ministry of Education and Science, Irina Demchenko, member of the authors team of the above mentioned manual, Yuri Kruglov, chief epidemiologist of the Ukrainian Center for prevention of and fight against HIV/AIDS of Ministry of Health and Marina Verban, director of the Ukrainian league of sociologists.

More information about the training course you can get from Svitlana Zakrevska, a media expert of project “Strengthening Multi-Sectoral Approaches towards HIV/AIDS Prevention among Youth in Ukraine” via e-mail Svetlana.zakrevska@gmail.com or tel. +38 050 4708817

Kyiv, 1 March 2007

In a capacity building effort within the framework of the EC project “Strengthening Multi Sectoral Approaches towards HIV/AIDS Prevention among Youth in Ukraine”, a training of 20 managers of the monitoring, evaluation and information systems (survey managers) from all the nine project pilot oblasts of Ukraine (Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Odesa, Mykolayiv and Crimea) as well as from Kyiv will take place March 5 – 6, 2007 in Kyiv.

Managers of the monitoring and evaluation systems will be trained on structure, functionality and usage of the monitoring and evaluation information system (MEIS), questionnaire design functionality, input of questionnaire data from pupils, teachers, parents, creation and usage of analytical reports, exercises on analytics based on previous questionnaire input etc.

More information about the training course you can get from Svitlana Zakrevska, a media expert of project “Strengthening Mult-Sectoral Approaches towards HIV/AIDS Prevention among Youth in Ukraine” via e-mail Svetlana.zakrevska@gmail.com or tel. +38 050 4708817