Mykola Azarov: We must envisage criteria of protection of national metallurgic engineering
The Government
is obliged to find favorable conditions of implementation of the Agreement on Free
Trade Area with the EU for Ukraine in the part of metallurgic engineering
industry. The Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykola Azarov stressed during the Cabinet
of Ministers of Ukraine on January 15, 2014.
The Head of
Government underlined that in the relation of metallurgic production and
manufacturing of ready-made metal goods the majority of customs fees between
Ukraine and the EU had been slashed to a zero as a result of entering Ukraine
into the WTO, however the FTA envisaged further fall of customs fees.
“Taking
into account low added value of Ukrainian export of metal goods it can lead to
further loss of competitiveness,” Mykola Azarov stressed.
Besides, according
to him, the metallurgists can face sharp growth of the cost of products through
higher expenses for raw materials and environmental protection measures. So, the
rates of export duties for scrap of alloyed steel, scrap of non-ferrous metals
and semifinished products of their use, and also
stainless steel will decrease from 15% to 0% after the transitional period
finishes, while implementation of environmental conditions of the agreement
will need significant investments.
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“Put it
simply, unless to envisage the conditions of protecting of our metallurgy, in
several years it will become more profitable to cut metal in Ukraine and sell
it to recast than to put money into workplaces in Ukraine. It is an
unaffordable way for us, as it concerns the key complex of our industry,
which embraces hundred thousands of workers of coal, mining branches, power
economy, transports etc. Incomes of these workers are the source for life for
small and average business and so on. That’s why we must find favourable conditions of implementation of this part of
the Agreement with the EU for Ukraine,” Mykola Azarov said. |