Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman hopes that the Parliament will consolidate around the adoption of the Budget for 2017 and approve that in the coming weeks. He stated this while talking with journalists visiting the state enterprise ‘Antonov’.

The Prime Minister noted that the Government had started the budget process timely, on September 15.

"Now the budget is in Parliament. We are planning during the following plenary weeks to consider this issue. I count on the Ukrainian Parliament’s unity as this budget is a budget of development, consolidation, and actually contains an increase of social standards for the citizens", said Volodymyr Groysman.

The Head of Government noted that among the principal indicators envisaged for 2017 is a twofold raising of the minimum wage up to UAH 3200. Hence, the wages of teachers and doctors will increase by about 30%. The economy’s performance is forecast to improve by 3%.

Among the determined priorities contained in the budget are preserving of decentralization process, large-scale construction of roads, support for the agricultural sector, in particular livestock breeding, horticulture, berry farming, thereby "enabling to maintain stable market prices and ensure greater competitiveness", said Volodymyr Groysman.

Moreover, the Government has planned UAH 550 million to support agricultural machinery sector – to compensate for the cost of agricultural machinery for farmers.

Speaking about the support for the healthcare sector, the Prime Minister noted that the Government had planned funds to stimulate the establishment of centers of cardiovascular surgery in cities across the country, the introduction of reference pricing and a mechanism of reimbursement for drugs from cardiovascular disease, diabetes type II and bronchial asthma from 1 January 2017.

"A number of programs that we are including in the draft budget these days will boost the development of the economy", summed up Volodymyr Groysman.