A clear vision of the Government regarding the future of the Ukrainian coal industry has been formulated in three strategic documents of the State - the Concept for the reform of the country's coal industry by 2020, the Energy Strategy of Ukraine until 2035 and the Government Action Plan until 2020. This was stated by Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Kystion in his statement at the congress of trade unions of workers of the coal industry of Ukraine on Friday.

According to him, the implementation of the aforesaid documents will enable the country to improve financial, economic and technological situation at the coal-mining enterprises, to create favourable conditions for leveraging investments in the development of the industry, which requires complete modernization, as well as to solve the problems in the social sphere and ecological sector in the mining regions.

"Our objective is to create conditions for reducing of coal production cost, to enhance the extraction of coal belonging to the gas group, because such a demand is urgent for Ukraine, to provide effective social protection of miners and to ensure the most transparent process of purchasing equipment and materials to satisfy the needs of the industry", said Volodymyr Kistion.

According to the preliminary estimates, the Vice Premier stressed, a reform of the coal industry will enable the country to economize UAH 1.5 billion per annum. These are extra funds for the modernization of coal enterprises, their technical and technological re-equipment.

"The policy of the Government is simple: to invest into profitability instead of loss-making. It is an ideology placed as a basis in the updated coal industry management system. If we manage to do this, in the near future Ukrainian mines will achieve self-reliance and profitability", Volodymyr Kistion summed up.