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Ukraine is launching a national website to help farmers determine market values of land leases . Maintained by the Agrarian Policy and Food Ministry, the portal draws on a nationwide database of soil quality and known auction prices. Last year, 1,837 lease rights to a total area of 42,500 hectares of farmland were publicly auctions, UNIAN reports. With farmers becoming more aware of market prices, the average rental rate in the first half of this year was 19% higher than in the first half of last year.
Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, has greenlighted the discontinuing the friendship agreement with Russia following a dramatic escalation of a Kyiv-Moscow military conflict in the Azov Sea. The motion was supported by 277 lawmakers on December 6, while 226 votes were necessary for its approval. The agreement will be discontinued from April 1, 2019. In late November, Russian forces attacked the Ukrainian Navy's boats, capturing three vessels with around two dozen sailors. The move is widely considered as an act of aggression by Moscow against Kyiv followed by the 2014 illegal annexation of Crimea by the Kremlin as well as fuelling pro-Russian rebellion in the Donbas region. By discontinuing the agreement, Ukraine relieves itself of any obligations with regard to its implementation, according to the law adopted by the Rada. "Doing so does not affect the rights, obligations or legal status of Ukraine that have arisen as a result of the implementation of the said agreement pending it discontinuance in accordance with Article 70 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties." The friendship agreement between Ukraine and the Russian Federation was signed in May 1997. The Verkhovna Rada ratified it in January 1998.
After a split in the Opposition Bloc party the remaining rump of the party voted at their December 15 party congress to nominate Oleksandr Vilkul as their presidential candidate in the elections scheduled for March 31, 2019, Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported on December 17. Vilkul built his career serving as an executive in the mining companies of oligarch Rinat Akhmetov.
2.9 Polls & Sociology
Almost 60% of Ukrainian citizens are ready at a referendum to vote for Ukraine's accession to the EU and a little over 45% support the country's accession to NATO. According to a poll conducted by the SOCIS centre on December 8-18, if a referendum on Ukraine's accession to the European Union is held in the near future, 58.3% of citizens would vote for EU membership, 21.6% of respondents would not support such entry, 8.1% would not take part in the referendum, and 12% of those polled could not answer the question. At the same time, 45.5% of respondents are ready to support Ukraine's accession to NATO, 29.4% are against, 8.5% of respondents will not come to the referendum, and 16.6% were undecided.
In a poll of multinationals, 74% of executives polled by the American Chamber of Commerce said they plan to expand operations in 2019. Polled at the Chamber’s annual general meeting last month, 22% said they plan to keep production level, and 4% plan reductions. Asked about salaries, 75% plan pay hikes for 2019. Chamber President Andy Hunder said later: “Our members are very bullish.”
21 UKRAINE Country Report February 2019 www.intellinews.com