Page 53 - UKRRptDec23

5.2 Balance of payments 5.2.1 Import/export dynamics
The "solidarity corridors" have proved to be a lifeline for the Ukrainian economy, allowing it to export over 108mn tonnes of goods and import 38mn tonnes of other products, totalling €123bn. These volumes have increased significantly since the establishment of the Black Sea route. A total of 3.2mn tonnes out of 4.5mn tonnes of grain and other related products exported from Ukraine in October passed through the "solidarity corridors", with about 1.3mn tonnes coming through the humanitarian Black Sea corridor.
The leadership of the Union of the Slovak Truck Transporters (UNAS) has decided to block the main border crossing between Slovakia and Ukraine, Vysne Nemecke – Uzhorod. UNAS wants to join the Polish truckers blocking Polish-Ukrainian border crossings on December 1. “The goal of our protest is the need to address solutions for our legitimate Slovak demands we submitted to the Minister of Transportation Jozef Raz”, UNAS stated.
● Partners & regions
For the first time, Ukraine has surpassed Russia in trade volume with Germany. Russia's war against Ukraine is changing the structure of Germany's foreign trade with the region of Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia: Russia is losing ground while other markets are catching up. In September 2023, Germany's trade with Ukraine (€840M) was, for the first time, greater than its trade with Russia (€810M).
Slovak haulers block checkpoint at Slovakia-Ukraine border. Slovak haulers began to block the movement of trucks at the Vysne Nemecke checkpoint, Ukraine's State Border Guard Service spokesperson Andrii Demchenko told Ukrainska Pravda on Nov. 21.
Ukraine and the EU introduce alternative origin of goods rules. From December 1, 2023, alternative rules for determining the origin of goods will be introduced bilaterally between Ukraine and the EU. In particular, the agreement foresees the appearance of new terms in the Harmonized System of Description and Coding of Goods, including "interchangeable goods" and "maximum content of materials originating from third countries". The list of goods obtained in the countries participating in the convention has also been updated. The use of only two documents for proof of origin, instead of four, is envisaged: the EUR.1 certificate and the declaration of origin (excluding EUR-MED documents), simplifying the procedure for proving origin. In addition, the validity period of documents on origin has been increased from four months to 10. The mechanism for granting the status of an authorized (approved) exporter has also been simplified.
● Products
USAID AGRO provides ₴703M for developing export-oriented processing of grain, oil, and leguminous crops. The program provides co-financing for 20 Ukrainian agrarian processing enterprises to restore and develop their export potential. Each enterprise can receive from ₴10M to ₴100M in co-financing to achieve the following results:
● Increase the procurement volume and raw material processing by establishing long-term partnerships with micro, small, and medium-sized agricultural producers
53 UKRAINE Country Report December 2023 www.intellinews.com