The Government forecasts that economic growth in 2017 to amount approximately 3%.

Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman announced in an exclusive interview with Ukrinform news agency.

In particular, describing the work over the budget for 2017, he said: "We were engaged in a dialogue with experts, the Ukrainian Parliament for over three months. The Government submitted a rather balanced budget for 2017, and it is characterized with a good structure, contains clearly determined priorities. The latter includes defense sector, raising the minimum wage twofold – up to UAH 3200. For teachers - increasing the salaries by 50% in 2017, for doctors - by 30%. There has been preserved the decentralization system and planned support for the agricultural industry, mechanical engineering, overall construction of roads. We expect that economic growth will actually make up about 3 percent."

According to Volodymyr Groysman, the budget is person-centered. "It was balanced basing on interests of people: salary, infrastructure, roads, the defense sector as well - all of these areas were accounted for. One may have different attitude to this document, but we honestly, openly, and publicly were working for three months on this complex and important document, and in the end achieved adoption of the law on the State budget as was planned. Therefore, we have started the new year with a new budget and are committed to focus on its implementation. Hence, my forecasts are absolutely and reasonably optimistic," he stressed.

Referring to the ways to fill the budget, the Prime Minister gave an example of the customs service: "I agree they have a lot to do to restore complete order, but those first steps that we made proved it possible in August to receive UAH 1 billion, and in the following months they demonstrate UAH 2-2.5 billion monthly over-fulfillment of plans that are transferred to the budget. In terms of risk, for instance, concerning issues of special confiscation of property as proceeds of crime committed by previous authorities. Just pay attention, we budgeted a relatively low resource: if the sum from special compensation procedures makes up about UAH 40 billion, only UAH 12 billion of this sum was planned in the budget as a compensation for this deficit. However, we are optimistic about the prospect of special confiscation. As time passes, the legal system is approaching the point, so all the funds must be returned to where they were plundered from. You know these funds were stolen from the budget, and these funds should serve the state and its people."