Opening statement of Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykola Azarov during Government's meeting on January 9, 2014
Honorable
Members of the Cabinet of Ministers!
Dear
invited!
Once again I
congratulate all on the occasion of the New Year and Christmas holidays.
Today our main task is
to organize the system operation of the economy after the holidays. At the end
of last year, thanks to the arrangements of the Presidents of Ukraine and
In the final days of
last year, as the President instructed, all delays in payment of salaries and
social benefits from the budget were eliminated. We began 2014 without delays
in payments, and we can continue to fulfill social obligations clearly and in
accordance with the schedule. Thus, despite the long weekend, as of January 9, more
than UAH 6 billion pensions has been funded - absolutely everything that is
planned for that date - and pensions are paid routinely. And you realize how it
is vital for the elderly people.
It is obviously that
2014 will be better for our people, for the
We must optimally use
new features. We have everything so that 2014 would be the year of stability
and development. If the society is consolidated on such purposes, 2014 will be the
year of stable prices, stable exchange rate, sustained increase in wages and
pensions, and extra payments to state employees for the quality and volume of
work.
The adoption of the State
Budget is very important for the sustainable development of the country. It
ensures stability in the country, industry and agricultural production
development and on this basis – rise in social standards.
Our Government knows
how to do it. You can criticize the Government for a lot of things for
shortcomings in the work - unfortunately, there are some shortcomings, but we are
the first to find them. And not to see that in less than four years social
benefits increased by almost half in the country - just you can not! And this is
in a state that fully felt the pressure of the global economic crisis and the
economic recession in Europe, and trade problems with
You can, as the
opposition do, to spatter the economic policy of our Government. But deposits
of our citizens increased by 205% (more than in two times) or by more UAH 222
billion. And it is an inescapable fact. Only for the last year, retail deposits
in national currency rose almost by UAH 70 billion, or by 36%. Overall, our
citizens are kept with banks UAH 434 billion - more than the annual revenue of
the State Budget! What does it mean, if not an absolutely undeniable
credibility to the Government's economic policy? You can talk as much as you
like, but it is an undeniable fact.
Add to this that the
opposition tries to swing such trust almost every day: it continuously provokes
panic about the stability of the national currency, it has called and calls to
withdraw deposits - why do they do it? And who would believe them? People
clearly, so to speak, "voted" by their savings for the national currency,
the national economy and they "voted" against the opposition’s calls.
Therefore, our
Government will continue to pursue a policy of reliance on the domestic market
and the intensification of the national economy. And to perform social
initiatives of the President of Ukraine, it will gradually increase the
purchasing power of our citizens.
On the one hand, we
have offered lawmakers to cut by 1% income tax to more funds remain in business
for modernization. On the other hand, we continue to increase the social budget
parameters. The minimum wage in the current year will exceed the level of 2009
almost in 2 times, the size of the salary of the employee of the first wage
category of the Unified Tariff Scale by 1.7 times.
As a result of these
increases, the average wage until the end of 2014, for example, of a district general
physician of higher category will increase by UAH 602 per month, of a physician
assistant by UAH 401 per month, of a head of the kindergarten by UAH 645, of a
teacher of higher category of an educational institution by UAH 602, of a senior
researcher by UAH 748.
Certainly, we have also
provided in the following year phased increase in cost of living for one
person.
At the same time the
Government guarantees that the budget for 2014 is balanced at most, realistic,
created for the people of
The Verkhovna Rada of
That is why every
member of the Cabinet should devote next week primarily to the work with
deputies, with parliamentary committees and parliamentary groups to convey to
them our conviction: the developed by the Government budget is the main key to
financial stability and economic development in 2014.
Dear colleagues!
2014 should be the
critical year. We will move toward radical modernization of the economy or we
will sink in a political infighting. In fact, this subject requires a deep
opening, but now I limit myself to just a statement of the fact, still
undeniable for the authorities, the opposition, and for all our people. It is absolutely
unconditionally. The economy that is based on industry, where 75% of the
equipment is physically and mentally worn out in many sectors of the economy
has no prospects in global competition. We have seen this in the past. Prior to
this fact, any political ambition - personal, party and so on - should be
postponed for the sake of the all-national perspective.
What should be done
immediately?
First of all. We’ve run
at full capacity industrial cooperation program with
The second. The activation
economic development program must start working steadily. It is the categorical
demand of the President of Ukraine. It is the calculated by us chance in 5-10
years to have a competitive industry and agriculture. The First Vice Prime
Minister S. Arbuzov is responsible for this. The main thing here - to
concentrate all possible financial resources for successful projects, primarily
related to the modernization of industry and production. And here it can not be
compromises or delays.
I demand that causes of
inhibition of investments in businesses and industries that defined in the
program for the economic development will be eliminated within the month.
The third. We should
begin realistic talks on practical terms of the Association Agreement with the
European Union and the Free Trade Area with the EU. I instructed under the
leadership of Vice Prime Minister Y. Boyko to conduct an in-depth sectoral
analysis of the implications of a free trade area for the national economy. We
do not need suggestions. We should talk with our partners based on facts,
figures and irrefutable arguments. Because, there is the existence of
This work should also
be performed in a very short period of time. I emphasize personal
responsibility for this of ministers Prasolov, Korolenko Prysyazhnyuk, Stavyskyi,
Temnyk, Kozak. And in general, it is a matter of every member of the Cabinet.
Thus, the task is that
we have a balanced, systematic project of state development in February with
full use of the advantages that free trade area with CIS and industrial
cooperation with
We need a coordinated
system of action in specific areas, industries and even for individual
companies. Foreign investors also need the same, without whom the task of
modernization of the Ukrainian economy can not be performed.
Honorable Members of
the Cabinet of Ministers!
Concerning the agenda.
Today we will consider
a bill that makes it possible to restructure arrears for maintenance of
buildings and adjacent areas and for public utilities (water supply and
sewerage, gas, electricity, district heating, waste removal) that emerged as of
January 1, 2014.
This is not a
write-off – this is an opportunity for people who for various reasons were not
able to pay and can not get rid of debts, to conclude contracts for the gradual
repayment of these amounts and pay them easy.
The Government continues
to implement projects of infrastructure: roads, schools, kindergartens,
hospitals, etc are built. In order to ensure efficient use of public funds
today, we make changes to the procedure of verification of compliance with
regulations and standards of calculating the value of construction projects
that are built with the assistance of the budgets of all levels, credits under
sovereign guaranteed loans, etc.
Pursuant to the
provisions of the Code of Civil Protection it is scheduled to approve:
- Provision on a
unified state system of civil protection;
- Default position on
departmental fire protection service. (By the way, in view of yesterday's emergency
in Kharkiv and Kyivv today, it has particular relevance.)
- The list of objects,
the design of which shall be based on requirements of engineering activities of
civil protection.
In order to avoid
duplication of the supervisory functions by bodies of the state market
surveillance and separation of kinds of products for which such supervision is
carried out – a list of kinds of products on which the Market Supervision is
carried out will be approved.
On the order of the
President of Ukraine the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine has
developed an Action Plan aimed at curbing illegal mining of coal, which will be
consider by members of the Government today. The issue is extremely important
because the illegal mine-cisterns not only cause significant damage to the
environment, but also take away lives.
Recently the President
of Ukraine has signed the Law of Ukraine “On the grounds of functioning of the
electric power market in Ukraine” which is aimed at liberalization of the
wholesale electricity market of Ukraine and creating of efficient competitive environment
on the electric power market, including principal requirements of the EU
legislation.
Today the members of
the Government shall approve the Plan of preparing of draft acts necessary to
ensure effective realization of this law.
So, we will create a
considerable impetus to drawing investments into modernization of production,
transition and supply of electric power.
And there is another
very important issue. In 2014,
Objective is responsible;
a significant amount of work has already carried out. Today we will create the Organizing
Committee, approve it’s the personal composition and approve action plan of the
presidency of
Thank you.