Business called for the Black Sea ports to be opened for all types of cargo
29.03.2023 - 11:30
The European Business Association called for the full unblocking of Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea for all types of cargo.
The launch of the “grain corridor” from Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea helped to support both world food security and Ukraine’s economy. However, as noted in EBA, some export industries are currently going through some of the most difficult times in the history of independent Ukraine.
For example, this applies to the mining and metallurgical complex. The key reasons are: the sea blockade, insufficient capacity at Ukraine’s western border crossings, the overcrowding of European ports with cargo and the limited ability of their infrastructure to receive cargo from Ukraine in full.
The workload of most enterprises has fallen by more than 50% from the pre-war level, enterprises are operating at a loss just to maintain production capacity, jobs, support workers and their families, help the army and the most affected population.
Agricultural potential remains underutilized. So, about 10 million tons of agricultural products alone were not shipped to international markets.
The complete unblocking of maritime commercial transportation in the Black Sea and the opening of Ukrainian ports for all types of cargo will not only allow Ukraine to create conditions for the growth of industrial production and GDP, but also save/restore thousands of jobs, ensure the payment of taxes and fees to the budget, which is extremely important for performance of social, humanitarian and defense functions by the state, especially during wartime.
In addition, the opening of ports will be a powerful factor in stabilizing the hryvnia exchange rate, as it will provide additional significant foreign exchange earnings.
The European Business Association appealed to the UN and Turkey, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the Minister of Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov. The business proposes to join forces and contribute to the implementation of the strategy of fully unblocking the Ukrainian seaports of the Black Sea for commercial transportation of all types of cargo and the implementation of guarantees of safety and freedom of commercial shipping in the waters of the Black Sea in accordance with the norms of modern international law.
