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  • PRESS RELEASE : Volodymyr Zelenskyy – Ukraine is wise and does not react to provocations, which is very important for Ukrainians, Europeans and Russians

    PRESS RELEASE : Volodymyr Zelenskyy – Ukraine is wise and does not react to provocations, which is very important for Ukrainians, Europeans and Russians

    The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 8 February 2022.

    President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasizes that the balanced and wise position of our state in responding to the deteriorating security situation on the borders and the likely escalation by the Russian Federation is important for the people of Ukraine, the people of European countries and even Russia.

    “Ukraine is very patient, because that’s the wisdom. I think this is important not only for Ukraine, but also for the whole of Europe. And it is very important for the Russians, because the escalation by the other side depends on our patience,” the Ukrainian President said, answering journalists’ questions after talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Kyiv.

    Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukrainians are defending their country because they are on their own land.

    “Our patience influences provocations – when we do not respond, but behave decently,” said the President.

  • Eric Forth – 2003 Speech on the Government Reshuffle

    Eric Forth – 2003 Speech on the Government Reshuffle

    The speech made by Eric Forth in the House of Commons on 17 June 2003.

    Can I welcome the Rt Hon Gentleman to his new position as part time Leader of the House.

    I congratulate him on his marriage on Saturday – I wish him many years of happiness… …and at least a few weeks as Leader of the House.

    Mr. Speaker, last Thursday the Prime Minister’s Press Office announced sweeping change to our Constitution and our system of justice, as a half-baked afterthought to the most botched and shambolic reshuffle in living memory.

    But since then the Prime Minister hasn’t deigned to come to the House to explain what it all means.

    He can’t explain because he doesn’t know what it all means.
    He won’t explain because he doesn’t care what it all means.
    And now he has left it to the part time Leader of the House to pick up the pieces.

    As a result of what the Prime Minister cobbled together between trips abroad —
    the separate and distinct voices of Scotland and Wales in the Cabinet have been utterly confused and downgraded;

    a Scottish Member of Parliament is in charge of health in England, imposing on England a foundation hospital system rejected in Scotland, but no English Member is allowed a say on health policy in Scotland;

    another Scottish Member is responsible for transport in England while defending the interests of Scotland, yet reporting to a unelected English Minister in another Place.

    Last Thursday, the West Lothian question became a Westminster question.

    A question over the competence of the Prime Minister, over his openness and honesty with his Cabinet colleagues and over the accountability of Ministers to Parliament.

    Chaos, confusion and conflicts of interests run rife everywhere.

    Downing Street’s first task was to explain whether or not the Lord Chancellor still existed, and if not, who or what would perform the vacant roles.

    The timetable of this sorry saga went something like this…
    On Thursday the Government announced that a Department for Constitutional Affairs would replace the Lord Chancellor’s Department. Lord Irvine, the Prime Minister’s former boss, who objected to the changes, was sacked, and Lord Falconer, his former flat mate, was appointed to a new role: Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs.

    Not, I note, Lord Chancellor, because, as part of the changes, the post of Lord Chancellor would be abolished and his responsibilities as head of the English judiciary, Cabinet minister and Speaker of the Lords would be reallocated.

    According to the Downing Street website on Thursday: ‘the [Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman] said that in the transition period Lord Falconer would not fulfill either the judicial function of Lord Chancellor or the role of speaker’.

    But on Friday, Lord Falconer had to be dragged to the Woolsack to assume his place on the Woolsack as speaker of the House of Lords, and was forced to admit that he was after all the Lord Chancellor.

    Then on Saturday, Lord Falconer said: ‘I will continue to be the Lord Chancellor and exercise his powers until such time as statutory arrangements can be made to replace it, and that was always made clear. As long as the House of Lords wish the Lord Chancellor to sit on the Woolsack I will continue to do that’ (Daily Telegraph, 16 June 2003).

    Then there was the need to explain the plans for a Supreme Court, and the Government’s commitment to consult widely on their proposals.

    On Thursday, the Prime Minister announced the creation of a Supreme Court to replace the Law Lords.

    The role of the Lord Chancellor as head of the English judiciary would be reallocated.
    A Judicial Appointments Commission, an independent body to select new judges, would take over responsibility from the Lord Chancellor.

    But can the part time Leader of the House confirm that it may be another six weeks after the announcement of the creation of these new bodies before consultation papers on this are even published?

    Because that’s what the timetable published by Downing Street last Thursday said.

    On Friday, the Hon and Learned member for Medway told the Today programme:
    ‘If you are going to change 1,500 years of constitutional history, you do it carefully, you have a consultation, a white Paper and experts, and then finally you bring it before Parliament, because Parliament decides the way we are governed, not the Prime Minister on the back of an envelope in Downing Street. What we have here is a botch, which looks as though it has been put together in panic. It totally lacks coherence and clarity.”

    On Sunday, Speaking on Breakfast with Frost on Sunday 15 June, Lord Falconer said that ‘as far as the Supreme Court is concerned the effect of the announcement on Thursday is that we would have a Supreme Court but the detail of that has to be worked out after proper consultation.’

    And meanwhile, the Government’s claim that the proposed Judicial Appointments Commission would make judicial appointments impartial was queried by Lord Donaldson, former Master of the Rolls: ‘You can have an Appointments Commission which is independent of the executive, but nevertheless is tailor-made to produce an entirely different kind of judge who perhaps would be more acceptable to the Home Secretary’.

    Might this have been what the Rt Hon Gentleman, the part time Leader of the House, meant when he said in Tribune in 1984:
    “The next Labour Government should appoint only judges who have clear socialist or libertarian leanings.”

    The story of the fast diminishing representation of the people of Scotland and Wales bears some retelling.
    On Thursday, the Downing Street press briefing read:
    “New arrangements will also be put in place for the conduct of Scottish and Welsh business.”
    “The Scotland and Wales Offices will henceforth be located within the new Department for Constitutional Affairs, together with the Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State for Scotland and Wales.”

    On Friday, the Downing Street press briefing described the Rt Hon member for Edinburgh Central as “Secretary of State for Transport and Secretary of State for Scotland” and the Rt Hon member for Neath as “Leader of the House of Commons, Lord Privy Seal and Secretary of State for Wales”.

    The briefing went on to say that, “The [Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman] said he couldn’t give a precise breakdown of Alastair Darling’s schedule and it would be wrong to do so but … one of the reasons Alastair Darling was made Secretary of State for Scotland was that he was Scottish.”

    “Asked if he was saying that Alastair Darling, Peter Hain and Helen Liddell didn’t have enough to do the PMOS said that what he was saying was that was in respect of Wales and Scotland, given the progress of time in relation to devolution was that these were no longer full-time jobs so they were being combined with other roles.”

    “Asked who the civil servants in the Scottish and Welsh offices would answer to, the PMOS said that they would come under a single Permanent Secretary Sir Hadyn Phillips but would work to their respective secretaries of state. Asked if the Permanent Secretary would be answerable to Lord Falconer the PMOS said he would.”

    After all that, I think all of us will agree with the conclusions of Friday’s Downing Street Press Briefing…

    “…the PMOS said that…some things had been a little hazy.”

    But not apparently to the part time Leader of the House, who told BBC Radio Wales on Friday, “The Wales Office is not being abolished, I stay as Secretary of State for Wales.”

    He did, however, have a few harsh words for the Prime Minister and his team:
    “I readily admit that in the comings and goings yesterday this whole issue could have been communicated far more effectively from Downing Street.”

    On Saturday, Lord Falconer said, “Of course I am not their boss … There is still a Scottish Office, the officials work in my department, but politically those offices are led by Peter and Alistair, there is still a very strong voice in the Cabinet for Scotland and Wales”.
    And as the Hon Lady the member of Stirling, now parliamentary undersecretary in the Department of Constitution Affairs, said: “I am working for Alistair Darling as a junior minister in the Scotland Office which is part of the constitutional affairs department … A great deal of the day to day activity will be done by me anyway, Alistair and I have discussed that”.

    Today, the sad tale can be summed up in one line.
    As the Scotland Office website now reads:
    “This site is currently under redevelopment”

    But Mr Speaker, today’s debate is about more than constitutional confusion.

    It is about the loss of representation for the people of Wales and Scotland.

    It is about the loss of democratic accountability for the acts of this Government.

    Exactly what are the roles of the Scottish Secretary, the Welsh Secretary and the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs?

    Does a Scottish Member with a concern go to the Rt. Hon. Member for Edinburgh Central or to the Lord Chancellor?

    What happens if the Rt. Hon. Member disagrees with the Lord Chancellor?

    What happens if the Rt. Hon. Member gives a civil servant a differing instruction from the Lord Chancellor?

    Is the Scotland Office part of the Department of Constitutional Affairs as we were told on Thursday?

    Or is there still a Scotland Office as the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs told us on Sunday?

    If the Rt Hon Member for Darlington felt obliged to resign from the job of one Secretary of State – how can others be reasonably expected to do two jobs?

    The government has totally lost the plot on constitutional change.

    It began last week with a flat “No” to a referendum on the new European Constitution.
    It started this week with a pledge of referendums on regional assemblies.

    We began last week with them running away from a referendum on the destruction of the pound.

    We ended the week with them promising emergency legislation in another place allowing referendums on fluoride in water.

    The final question this House must consider Mr Speaker is that of the Rt Hon Member for Hamilton North and Bellshill and the West Lothian Question.

    The absurdity of his appointment is that we now have an MP representing a Scottish constituency, telling us how to run the NHS in England when he has no say over health policy in Scotland because the issue is devolved.

    Our Father of the House said of his appointment: ‘It is an extraordinary piece of casting to put a Scot in charge of the English health service. Dr Reid has no say whatsoever in health matters pertaining to those who sent him to the Commons.’

    The Hon gentleman, the Member for Thurrock, said: ‘I am not happy that the health ministry, which is almost totally an English ministry, is headed up by a member of parliament representing a Scottish constituency.’

    The Secretary of State for Health will have the task of pushing through the foundation hospitals bill in England, even though it has been rejected by the Labour run Scottish assembly.

    Has he forgotten what the Rt Hon Member for Livingstone, Shadow Health Secretary and a Scottish MP just before the 1992 Election, once said? ‘Once we have a Scottish Parliament handling health affairs in Scotland, it is not possible for me to continue as Minister of Health, administering health, in England’.

    Mr Speaker, the Prime Minister has been guilty of breathless arrogance and supreme incompetence.

    At a time when our public services are in crisis and in dire need of real and radical reform…
    At a time when one in four children are leaving our primary schools unable to read, write and count properly…

    At a time when 30,000 children go on to leave secondary school without a single GCSE…
    At a time when there are still a million people on hospital waiting lists…
    At a time when 300,000 people are forced every year to pay for their own hospital treatment…
    At a time when our pensions are in crisis, with personal pensions halved since 1997…
    At a time when our roads are more congested than ever before, when the British people spend longer commuting to work than any people in Europe, and when one in five trains is late…
    At a time when gun crime is spiraling out of control…
    What does the Prime Minister come up with?

    The Prime Minister decided that what the country needed was a shambolic reshuffle that nobody has been consulted on and that nobody understands.

    So he announces his plans and then he asks us to agree with them.

    But does he want us to agree with the version his spokesmen briefed out on Thursday night, the amended version they briefed on Friday morning or the revised plans they came up with over the weekend?

    No wonder no-one trusts the Prime Minister’s priorities any more.

    No wonder no-one trusts anything the Prime Minister says anymore, when so much of what he says is corrected or contradicted just 24 hours later.

    And no wonder no-one trusts the Prime Minister’s ability to deliver anymore.

    Have the key decision already been taken on…
    the role of the Lord Chancellor?
    a Supreme Court?
    a Judicial Appointments Commission?
    …Or is genuine consultation and debate to take place?

    Does anyone understand the roles and responsibilities of…
    the Department of Constitutional Affairs
    The Scottish Office
    The Welsh Office
    …And what about their ministers and officials?

    Who, for example, is the Minister for Constitutional Affairs in the Commons?

    Mr Speaker, “The lesson of previous Parliamentary change is that it has to be carried out with care and sensitivity.”

    Not my words, but the words of the now Prime Minister in 1996.

    How can we have confidence in a Prime Minister who has forgotten any lessons he claimed to have learned and who now tries to impose this shambles on our Parliament and our country?
    We need consultation, debate, thought and care over such delicate matters.

    As we are showing today – if the Government won’t do it, we will.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Monkeypox vaccines to be piloted in smaller but equally effective doses

    PRESS RELEASE : Monkeypox vaccines to be piloted in smaller but equally effective doses

    The press release issued by the UK Health Security Agency on 22 August 2022.

    Three NHS sites are set to begin a pilot offering eligible patients smaller but equally effective doses of the vaccine used for the UK’s monkeypox outbreak, stretching existing supplies to protect more people.

    The safe and clinically-approved approach, known as ‘fractional dosing’, has been commonly used in other worldwide outbreaks when vaccine supplies are constrained. It will be introduced in one sexual health clinic in Manchester from today (Monday), and a further 2 in London shortly.

    Fractional dosing could maximise the number of doses that can be administered without compromising protection, with clinical study results showing it provides a near-identical immune response in patients.

    Under the approach, eligible people aged 18 and over will be offered a 0.1ml dose of the smallpox Jynneos vaccine, instead of the 0.5ml dose that is typically administered. This will potentially enable up to a 5-fold increase in the number of people that can be offered vaccination.

    Fractional dosing has recently been authorised in the US by the Federal Drug Administration for its own monkeypox response. The European Medicines Agency Emergency Task Force has also approved the approach.

    The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has reviewed the evidence in detail alongside the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) and is now working with NHS England to test the feasibility of the approach at pilot clinics in Chelsea and Westminster NHS Trust, Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, and Locala Health and Wellbeing in Greater Manchester.

    In a letter to Directors of Public Health, UKHSA chief executive Professor Dame Jenny Harries has confirmed the details of the pilot, with data gathered by the clinics used to inform planning for possible wider use when more doses of the vaccine arrive in the UK.

    Dr Mary Ramsay, Head of Immunisation at UKHSA, said:

    “Global supplies of the smallpox vaccine used to combat monkeypox are limited but we acted early to ensure the UK obtained the maximum number of doses available.

    Adopting this tried and tested technique will help to maximise the reach of our remaining stock, including the 100,000 doses due to arrive in the country next month, potentially enabling us to offer protection for many more thousands of people.

    We will continue to remain agile in our response to the monkeypox outbreak and will adapt our approach as new science and advice becomes available.”

    Professor Sir Andrew Pollard, Chair of the JCVI, said:

    “The use of fractional dosing will allow more people to be vaccinated sooner by optimising use of the constrained vaccine supply, and this approach is expected to reduce the spread of monkeypox.

    Dosing in this way has been successfully used in outbreaks of other viral diseases around the world and existing data we have reviewed indicates this should not compromise protection.”

    Dr Claire Dewsnap, President of the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH), said:

    BASHH absolutely supports the UKHSA led fractional dosing pilots, assessing feasibility in UK sexual health clinics. If acceptable, this would offer us the opportunity to roll out vaccine to those eligible much faster and would address the issues of short supply of vaccine across the world.

    Dr Will Nutland, Honorary Assistant Professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and a co-founder of PrEPster, said:

    “Fractional dosing provides the potential for many more people to receive vaccination to protect against monkeypox. Given the current global shortage of vaccine supply, this decision is pragmatic and welcome.

    Communities we are engaging with are keen to receive vaccination as soon as possible, and the pilots provide the opportunity to understand the acceptability and feasibility of providing vaccination this way.

    Evidence shows that fractional dosing, when correctly administered, is as effective as the vaccination method currently in use. We must now collectively move to ensure that those who are given the opportunity to receive vaccination are fully informed and are confident to come forward when invited.”

    In addition to piloting the fractional dosing approach, UKHSA has determined that, due to the limited vaccine supply at this time, the post-exposure offer of vaccination should be reserved for those close contacts who are at highest risk of severe illness. The JCVI supports this approach.

    This change does not affect the eligibility for the wider vaccination programme (pre-exposure offer) but means that post-exposure vaccines will be prioritised for people with immunosuppression, children under the age of 5 years and pregnant women.

    These individuals will continue to be offered a 0.5ml dose of the vaccine as we await further clinical data on fractional dosing for these groups.

    UKHSA published its latest technical briefing on the outbreak on Friday.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Research shows Londoners are worst affected by soaring inflation

    PRESS RELEASE : Research shows Londoners are worst affected by soaring inflation

    The press release issued by the Mayor of London on 22 August 2022.

    The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has warned that low paid Londoners are being hit harder by the cost of living crisis than other parts of the UK, as new City Hall research suggests that London is experiencing faster underlying inflation in some areas.

    The UK’s rate of inflation jumped to 10.1 per cent in July, the first time it has registered a double-digit annual increase in more than four decades, and Bank of England projections point to inflation accelerating further later this year. However, over the last six months, underlying inflation for local prices in London has consistently been found to track 1.5 percentage points higher than the national figure.

    Rising local food costs is one of the key pressures pushing the capital’s underlying inflation above the national average. This will affect Londoners on the lowest incomes the hardest as they spend a larger proportion of their income on food.

    London rental prices are also a major factor: the Rightmove Rental Price Tracker (1) indicates asking rents for new rentals in London are growing faster than anywhere else in the UK, up as much as 15.8 per cent annually in the last three months. This inflationary pressure will only grow as more people renew or move out of contracts that may have been kept at a lower price for longer due to the pandemic.

    However, Londoners spend less on energy compared to their counterparts in the rest of the UK due to warmer weather and smaller property sizes due to high housing costs, though they are of course still severely affected by inflation.

    Meanwhile, London continues to see an uneven pattern of pay growth, with mostly high-paying jobs seeing the fastest wage growth, and lower-paying sectors seeing slower growth. Whilst sectors such as finance, ICT and science and technology have seen median pay grow by more than 17 per cent in London since 2019, sectors with low median pay have seen much smaller pay rises, which will likely be rendered as pay cuts in real terms when inflation is accounted for (Table 1).

    Research from YouGov published last week (2) found 20 per cent of lower-income Londoners have regularly or occasionally gone without food or essential items or relied on outside support in the last six months. The number of Londoners being hit by the rising cost of living is also going up every month, with nearly a third saying they are ‘just about managing’ and almost one in five ‘financially struggling’.

    Those being hit the hardest and most likely to say they are financially struggling are Asian and Black Londoners, those with an income of less than £20,000, renters and Deaf and Disabled Londoners.

    Sadiq has suggested a range of measures the Government should implement now to ease the cost of living crisis for Londoners.

    These include:

    The introduction of an energy ‘Lifeline Tariff’ for the most vulnerable Londoners, providing the minimum energy needed for a household to function for free, with any charges kicking in only once a minimum use threshold had been met. This would be a major step towards helping ensure people would not need to choose between heating and eating this winter.

    Introducing a two-year rent freeze for London’s 2.4m private renters, which would act as a first step towards devolving full rent control powers to cool London’s overheated private rental sector. City Hall analysis shows a rent freeze in the capital over two years would save renters an average of £2,988.

    Extending the provision of healthy free school meals to all primary school children during term-time with free meal vouchers available for those in most need during the school holidays. As well as helping all families with the cost of living, research shows that making free school meals universal helps reduce stigma and therefore boosts take up among families who need them most.
    Restoring the £20 Universal Credit uplift, which Ministers removed in September last year, pushing 130,000 more Londoners into poverty. The Mayor is also calling for all benefits to be raised in line with inflation and all caps to be removed to help cut poverty in London and across the UK.

    The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said: “This new report shows in black and white that millions of low paid Londoners are living on the front line of the cost of living crisis.

    “I’m doing all I can to support Londoners, but we need the Government to step up. This must include doing more on energy bills to ensure no one has to make the choice this winter of heating their home or eating, increasing benefits in line with inflation, and giving me the power to implement rent controls in London.

    “Whoever becomes the next Prime Minister must make tackling the cost of living for Londoners – and people across the country – their top priority.”

  • PRESS RELEASE : Today, the partnership between Ukraine and France in the field of security is of special importance – President

    PRESS RELEASE : Today, the partnership between Ukraine and France in the field of security is of special importance – President

    The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 8 February 2022.

    Ukraine and France share a common vision of current threats and security challenges for our country, Europe and the world at large. That is why the partnership of our states in the field of security is of special importance today. This was stated by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a meeting with media representatives following talks with President of France Emmanuel Macron in Kyiv.

    “France plays an active role within the Normandy format. And we greatly appreciate the official position of Paris and the personal efforts of Mr. Emmanuel Macron to achieve peace in Ukraine – he is doing a lot for this,” said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

    According to the President of Ukraine, today the peace process was one of the key issues of negotiations with his French counterpart.

    “We expect that in the near future, in accordance with the agreements reached during the Paris Summit in December 2019, we will be able to hold the next talks of the leaders of the Normandy Four. An important step in this direction is the intensification of dialogue at the level of political advisers. We hope that the meeting in Paris, which took place on January 26, 2022, and the upcoming talks in Berlin will bring us closer to holding the Normandy Summit,” said the President of Ukraine.

    Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that he and the President of France share a common vision of current threats and security challenges for our country, Europe and the world at large.

    “They demand unity and new proactive approaches from European leadership. We will continue to cooperate for the deoccupation of part of the territory of Ukraine,” he stressed.

    “Today, the security and economic support for Ukraine from partners, strengthening its resilience and defense capabilities is beneficial for the region as a whole and, I am sure, for all countries of the European Union,” the President added.

    In this context, Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted the steps of solidarity on the part of France and the decision to allocate 1.2 billion euros of macro-financial assistance, which will help strengthen Ukraine’s economic stability.

    The President also noted that the countries are developing cooperation not only in the security sector, but in almost all areas, so an important issue of the meeting with Emmanuel Macron was the involvement of France in joint economic and, above all, infrastructure projects. These include the implementation of an important project for drinking water treatment in Mariupol, the Donetsk region, and the reconstruction of a water supply system in the town of Popasna, the Luhansk region. Thanks to these projects, half a million Mariupol residents and more than a million residents of the Luhansk region will have access to quality drinking water, the Ukrainian President stressed.

    “In general, we held meaningful, very effective talks today. I am personally grateful to Emmanuel Macron. Thank you for France’s support to Ukraine. I am convinced that our talks will give impetus to many important things. And the most important thing is the security of our state, the security of Europe,” the President summed up.

    For his part, Emmanuel Macron noted the path of reforms that Ukraine has covered, as well as the restraint shown by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy despite the concentration of troops on Ukraine’s borders.

    “France and Germany will play a mediating role in resolving the conflict in the format of the Normandy Four, in particular at the level of heads of state,” he emphasized.

    The President of France noted that Ukraine reaffirms its readiness to implement the Minsk agreements, which are a path to de-escalation and lasting peace. Emmanuel Macron added that during the recent talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he also received confirmation of Russia’s readiness to continue implementing these agreements.

    In addition, the French leader expressed his desire to restore peace on the European continent, which he had already discussed at the talks in Russia and Ukraine. According to him, in the near future it is necessary to work together on a new mechanism to guarantee security, which will ensure de-escalation and enhance security.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Following the meeting of the Presidents of Ukraine and France in Kyiv, a number of bilateral documents were signed

    PRESS RELEASE : Following the meeting of the Presidents of Ukraine and France in Kyiv, a number of bilateral documents were signed

    The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 8 February 2022.

    Following the meeting of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy with President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron, a number of bilateral documents were signed.

    In the presence of the heads of state, Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Denys Monastyrsky and Vice President for Eurasia at Thales International S.A.S. Christoph Lanowski signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and Thales International S.A.S.

    In addition, CEO at “Ukroboronprom” Yuriy Husyev and Christoph Lanowski signed the Agreement on Cooperation.

    The joint statement of Ukroboronprom and the Embassy of the French Republic in Ukraine was signed by Yuriy Husyev and Ambassador of France to Ukraine Etienne de Poncins.

    Acting Head of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine Serhiy Kruk and President of the Desautel Group Jerome Desautel signed a Joint Declaration of Intent between the State Emergency Service of Ukraine and Desautel SAS.

    Board Chairman at JSC Ukrzaliznytsia Oleksandr Kamyshin and Chairman and CEO of Alstom Henri Poupart-Lafarge signed a Memorandum of Understanding between JSC Ukrzaliznytsia and Alstom Transport SA.

    During a meeting with media representatives following talks with Emmanuel Macron in Kyiv, Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that the involvement of France in joint economic and, above all, infrastructure projects was an important issue in their talks.

    “Today we have finalized the agreements and put into practice very important projects: the supply of 130 Alstom locomotives worth 900 million euros and the supply of 370 Desautel units of fire and rescue equipment for 300 million euros. The project on construction of patrol boats for the State Border Service, in particular in the city of Mykolaiv, is also being implemented,” the President of Ukraine said.

    He also stressed that Ukraine and France will continue to develop cooperation with Airbus to establish a national air carrier.

    “In addition, in the framework of military-technical cooperation between our countries, an agreement was signed between Ukroboronprom and the French company Thales. Also today, a joint statement was signed by Ukroboronprom and the French side on reforms in the defense-industrial complex of Ukraine,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

  • PRESS RELEASE : The launch of “Diia City” will allow Ukraine to become the largest IT hub in Europe – President

    PRESS RELEASE : The launch of “Diia City” will allow Ukraine to become the largest IT hub in Europe – President

    The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 8 February 2022.

    The launch of the Diia City space will make Ukraine attractive for IT companies and startups, which will help our country become the largest IT hub in Europe. This was emphasized by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his speech at the third Diia Summit in Kyiv.

    “We are transforming Ukraine into a country of IT companies and startups. Thanks to Diia City, the share of IT in our country’s GDP will increase from 4% to 10%, and the industry’s revenues will grow up to $ 16.5 billion. This will allow Ukraine to become the largest IT hub in Europe,” he said.

    We are launching Diia City. This is one of the best tax and legal regimes on the planet, where the language of venture capital investment is spoken,” he added.

    Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that the Ukrainian government seeks to build the most convenient state in the world in terms of public services. That is why the government is currently working to ensure that talented Ukrainians and foreigners from all over the world, the technology business that is shaping the digital economy, come to work on the Ukrainian market.

    “People are the most important thing in every country, and talented people are the basis of every economy,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

    “That’s why we want not only Ukrainian, but also foreign IT companies to become residents of Diia City. And, as far as I know, both the first and the second will join Diia City today. Well-known, leading Ukrainian and foreign companies,” the President said.

    The Head of State also announced the intention to conduct an electronic census in 2023 jointly with Аррle.

    “We are developing a model of electronic customs. We strive to make Ukraine a global IT hub. A leader in innovation and technology. Today it does not sound so fantastic, right? And after the launch of this initiative, it will be quite achievable,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated.

    Diia City is a special legal and tax regime that creates favorable conditions for the development of IT business, as well as introduces a set of incentives for Ukraine to become a high-tech digital state.

    Basic principles of functioning: voluntary entry, freedom of activity (all residents have the right to choose forms of cooperation with third parties), non-interference of the state, presumption of legality of residents, stability (special regime is introduced for at least 25 years), extraterritoriality – the regime will operate in any corner of the country.

    Components of “Diia City”: favorable tax system – income tax of 18% or distributed profit tax of 9%, UST at the level of 22% of the minimum wage, personal income tax of 5% and military tax of 1.5%; flexible forms of cooperation with IT specialists – gig contracts that combine the benefits of freelance and social guarantees; guarantees of intellectual property protection; elements of English law that facilitate access to investment; guarantees of protection of the person and property from illegal intervention of security officers.

    Joining Diia City is voluntary. The special regime will operate in parallel with the current conditions of IT development. Thanks to Diia City, IT companies will pay lower taxes, be able to build a transparent corporate structure and have better access to investment.

  • PRESS RELEASE : As of today, services to change the place of residence registration and polls as the first step towards direct democracy are available in Diia – Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

    PRESS RELEASE : As of today, services to change the place of residence registration and polls as the first step towards direct democracy are available in Diia – Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

    The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 8 February 2022.

    As of today, the online service for changing the place of residence registration and polls are available on the Diia portal of public services. This was stated by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his speech at the third Diia Summit, which is taking place in Kyiv.

    “We dreamed of a state that provides citizens with quality service. For me, first of all, it’s fast and convenient. When young parents receive 10 services in 15 minutes with just one application in the maternity hospital thanks to “yeMalyatko”. It has been functioning only for two years. But today, nine out of ten Ukrainian families register the birth of a child through this service,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

    Also, according to him, almost a million citizens and entrepreneurs during the quarantine restrictions in a few minutes received 8 thousand hryvnias of assistance from the state through Diia. Using Diia you can pay taxes, fines, UST, submit a declaration, e-petition, apply for a subsidy or pension on your smartphone. In total, 14 million people live in “digital Ukraine”, as stated by the President.

    “For two years we have been analyzing life situations where citizens interact with the state. And popular government services were made online. Today, the most popular one, the change of place of residence registration, is a matter of the past as well,” the Head of State said.

    “As of today there will be no registrations, offices, passport desks, military enlistment offices and so on. You can now change your residence registration online in a few clicks. Congratulations to all. By the way, the A4 certificate, which had to be carried with the ID-passport, can also be forgotten,” he added.

    Volodymyr Zelenskyy also said that the “Poll” function is being launched in the Diia app today. So far, the issues are related to the capabilities of the application and the services available in it, but in the future they will relate to other issues of the state.

    In the presentation video, Volodymyr Zelenskyy reminded that direct democracy is one of the key points of his presidential program.

    “Today we are taking the first step in this direction – Diia launches the “Poll” service, the first large-scale tool of e-democracy. For millions of citizens, this is an opportunity to express their position and influence decisions for the state, an opportunity to quickly find out the opinion of people on any issues in real time and real numbers. Well, for all of us, this is actually the start of digital democracy,” the President said in a video presentation.

    The Head of State noted that the first questions are not difficult, not fateful for the country and are rather a test of this function. In particular, they concern the new digital services that have now appeared in the Diia app – which is the most useful, and which should be the name of the new government program for people over the age of 60.

    “Choose your version, see how e-democracy works in “Diia”, influence the development of the digital state,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged citizens.

    The President noted that the digital transformation not only saves time, but also changes public administration. Proof of this is the launch of the “eSupport” program.

    “In two weeks it has become the most popular service in the history of Ukraine. One thousand hryvnias for vaccinated citizens plus 500 hryvnias for a booster dose. Funds that can be spent on sports, concerts, movies, theaters, museums, books, traveling in Ukraine. Eight million Ukrainians used it. The affected business sectors received 2.3 billion hryvnias. And the whole world understood that Ukrainians are a nation that reads, because every third citizen spent these funds on books. And this is wonderful,” the President said.

    The President reminded that in February 2020, when the presentation of the newly created Diia app took place, digital driver’s licenses and technical passports were available, and then it was considered a breakthrough. And today there are more than 20 documents and services in the application, and more than 50 government services, licenses and permits on the Diia portal.

    “We have become the fourth country in Europe to have electronic driver’s licenses. Then it was pride. We were the first in the world to launch a digital passport that is as valid as a paper one. Then it was fantastic. We were the first to join the single digital market in Europe with COVID-certificates generated by 10 million Ukrainians. And now it’s all a habit. The habit of high-quality, fast and convenient service from the state,” said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

    As the President noted, the more difficult it is to surprise citizens every time, the more ambitious the plans and the way forward are.

    “But I am sure that at the next Diia Summit, as always, we will have something to tell, something to be proud of, there will be victories that we will be able to surprise you with, and ambitious plans that will surprise you and the whole world even more. But this does not frighten us. Because we know for sure: what was called a “dream” yesterday is called “Diia” today. The main thing is to dream and act,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy summed up.

    The Head of State urged: do not be afraid to dream, because digitization in Ukraine is just that.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Volodymyr Zelensky met with representatives of the IT industry on the eve of the Diia Summit and the launch of “Diia City”

    PRESS RELEASE : Volodymyr Zelensky met with representatives of the IT industry on the eve of the Diia Summit and the launch of “Diia City”

    The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 4 February 2022.

    President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and representatives of the IT industry held a meeting to discuss urgent issues of industry development and the launch of a special legal and tax regime “Diia City” scheduled for February 8 this year.

    The event was also attended by Deputy Head of the Office of the President Rostyslav Shurma and Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov.

    Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that the state will fully support the IT industry, which creates new jobs and makes Ukraine a modern country.

    “We really want to build a digital state. And we succeed in that,” the President said during the meeting.

    He answered questions from representatives of the IT industry, in particular on taxes and development of education, as well as listened to their suggestions that would contribute to the development of the industry turning Ukraine into a magnet for talented active people.

    Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov stressed that before the start of “Diia City” it was important to hold such a meeting with representatives of Ukrainian companies that generate jobs and form a new Ukraine.

    “We reaffirm at the highest state level that this project is designed to help the IT industry and will continue to grow,” he said.

    The meeting took place on the eve of the Diia Summit, which will be held on February 8 in Kyiv. During this large-scale event organized by the Ministry of Digital Transformation, new digital services for citizens on the “Diia” portal will be presented.

  • PRESS RELEASE : In a phone conversation with the President of Slovakia, the President of Ukraine discussed cooperation in the security sphere

    PRESS RELEASE : In a phone conversation with the President of Slovakia, the President of Ukraine discussed cooperation in the security sphere

    The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 4 February 2022.

    President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a phone conversation with President of the Slovak Republic Zuzana Čaputová.

    The President thanked Slovakia for its continued solidarity in supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

    The interlocutors exchanged views on the security situation around our country. Volodymyr Zelenskyy informed about the initiatives of the Ukrainian side to intensify the negotiation process within the Normandy format and the implementation of the Minsk agreements.

    The leaders touched upon the issue of cooperation between Ukraine and Slovakia in the security sphere.

    The President of Ukraine praised Slovakia’s support for our country’s European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations.

    Special attention was paid to energy security during the conversation.

    “Against the background of security risks associated with the construction of Nord Stream 2, close cooperation between Ukraine and Slovakia is important for enhancing security of energy supply,” said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

    The parties agreed to hold negotiations at the level of relevant agencies to increase the guaranteed capacity for natural gas transportation on a permanent basis in the Slovakia – Ukraine direction.

    The interlocutors also exchanged views on the situation with COVID-19 in Ukraine and Slovakia and measures to counter the spread of the pandemic.