Pursuant to the State Economic Stimulus Program aimed at overcoming the consequences of the COVID-19 epidemic, a number of measures will be implemented in Ukraine to support Ukrainian producers and those companies expressing readiness to produce in Ukraine. Key short-term measures include protection against import alternatives (anti-dumping investigations) and access to public procurement. This was stated by the Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture of Ukraine Ihor Petrashko on the air of the political talk show "Savik Shuster's Svoboda Slova" (ed. Freedom of Speech by Savik Shuster), on May 29.

"Our goal is to intensify anti-dumping investigations, enter into balanced trade with other countries, ensure a faster transition to EU standards, enhance import substitution and improve the public procurement system," said Ihor Petrashko.

According to him, the public procurement system "Prozorro" is a good technical system, but needs to be upgraded in the part of certain rules. In particular, it is a question of adding of localization criterion.

"If you want to work with the Ukrainian state order, produce in Ukraine. If you want to supply locomotives to Ukraine, produce these locomotives in Ukraine, if you want to supply turbines, produce these turbines in Ukraine," the Minister emphasized.

The Minister told that medium-term and long-term measures are divided according to the sectoral as well as functional principle. Sectoral activities cover industry, agriculture, energy, transport and infrastructure, information and communication technologies, services sector. Functional measures include support for SMEs, stimulation of international trade, leveraging investments, innovation development, development of the labor market, reasonable regulation of economic activity.

"All the measures are based on three main parameters - access to finance, access to markets and sustainable development," summed up Ihor Petrashko.