| Viktor Yushchenko abolished state regulation of gasoline prices Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, who spent months watching the battles unfolding between Russian oil workers and his own government over the price of petroleum products, finally intervened in the conflict. Today he will meet with LUKOIL President Vagit Alekperov, as well as TNK-BP Executive Director German Khan (yesterday the Anglo-Russian holding did not rule out that TNK-BP Head Robert Dudley could join them). These Russian companies control more than 60% of the Ukrainian oil products market and, as their representatives say, have suffered greatly from the introduction of maximum price levels by Yulia Tymoshenko's government.
Yesterday, Mr. Yushchenko announced the abolition of state regulation. Moreover, in recent days, the President of Ukraine, who previously did not comment on the actions of his subordinates, regularly criticizes the government, claiming that the cabinet’s actions were wrong. However, this did not stop Ms. Tymoshenko from declaring yesterday that the resignation of her first deputy Anatoly Kinakh, who also criticized the introduction of state regulation of gasoline prices, was a matter of time.
Mr Kinakh appears to have been the only one in the Ukrainian government who dared criticize Ms Tymoshenko's actions. He stated in an interview that the state has no right to talk about the illegal privatization of oil sector enterprises if there are no relevant court decisions. And in relation to limiting gasoline prices, he said that “those methods that are used, unfortunately, cannot give a different result, and the result is very alarming - a shortage and a decrease in the quality of petroleum products.” Yesterday, opening a government meeting, Ms. Tymoshenko reprimanded Mr. Kinakh. “I would like to thank Anatoly Kirillovich for his comments on the oil topic - that the government was determined to be guilty of these problems. I understand that we take full responsibility, but you also perfectly understand the political situation, and you understand where and how this comes from it came," the prime minister said.
Despite his liberal statements, Mr. Yushchenko still noted that one of the reasons for the gasoline crisis that arose earlier this week was the monopolization of the market, allowed in previous years, “both from the point of view of the supply of crude oil and refining and supply to the markets of petroleum products " What such statements will mean for oil workers will become known today. At the same time, the question of deprivatization of Ukrainian enterprises is still open. In addition, as ITAR-TASS reports, yesterday the ministers were given a draft law on additional valuation of enterprises privatized with violations. The prime minister intends to present it to the president in the coming days. And if during the sale there was no privatization competition, investment and other obligations are not fulfilled, then, according to Ms. Tymoshenko, the owner of the enterprise sold with “violations” will have to pay extra for it.
Yesterday, Yulia Tymoshenko reported that the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) is conducting an investigation into the causes and circumstances of the crisis that has developed in the market. “I think the SBU will have its say in the next few weeks about how the crisis was organized. We have unique information about how this was all organized,” she said.
“Today gasoline floats, travels and flies to Ukraine from almost all points of the world,” Ms. Tymoshenko said yesterday at a government meeting. To attract traders, Ukraine abolished the import duty on petroleum products, which, as local officials previously said, was introduced under pressure from Russian oil workers. At the same time, Ms. Tymoshenko instructed the State Customs Service, as well as the Minister of Finance Viktor Pinzenyk, who coordinates the work of customs, to ensure customs clearance of imported petroleum products within no more than one hour.
In addition, the republic has reduced the excise tax on petroleum products, although it hopes that this measure will be temporary. If previously its rate on high-octane gasoline was 20% of turnover from the selling price (excluding VAT), but not less than 60 euros per ton, now it will not exceed 60 euros. Similarly, the excise tax on diesel fuel, which was calculated at 10% of turnover, but not less than 30 euros per ton, is now set at 30 euros.
As a result, as stated in the government, more than 200 thousand tons of petroleum products will be imported to Ukraine in the near future: 30 thousand tons of A-92 gasoline will be imported from Belarus and Lithuania, contracts have also been concluded for the supply of 100 thousand tons of fuel from Serbia and 50 thousand tons - from Croatia.
In the meantime, as stated by the Antimonopoly Committee (AMK) of Ukraine, the total share of the Lisichansk, Kremenchug and Odessa refineries controlled by Russian oil corporations in the gasoline market is estimated at 66%, and in the diesel fuel market - at 51%. And this gives Kyiv grounds to talk about the presence of signs of a monopoly position of these structures in the market. In total, there are six oil refineries operating in the republic with a total capacity of 51.11 million tons. The production capacity of the Lisichansky and Kremenchug refineries is 18.62 million tons and 15.98 million tons (i.e., approximately 70% of the total capacity of all refineries). Therefore, AMK emphasizes, regardless of whose ownership they are, these refineries will have a significant impact on the petroleum products market. By the way, as you know, two cases have already been initiated against LUKOIL and TNK-BP on grounds of violation of competition law.
Mr. Yushchenko said yesterday that it is possible to get rid of dependence on Russian oil workers only by resolving the issue of diversifying the oil market and “entering at least three or four sources, in particular Russia, Kazakhstan, the Caucasus and Libya,” as well as creating a national reserve petroleum products in the amount of 10% of annual consumption.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Boris Tarasyuk already stated yesterday in Baku that his country is ready to accept 40 million tons of Azerbaijani oil. True, no specific documents were signed during his visit. “We have reached an agreement on a number of specific proposals that do not require documentation, and they will be implemented in the near future,” he noted. And according to the Minister of Transport and Communications of Ukraine Yevgeny Chervonenko, the capacity of the country’s ports allows them to receive about 2 million tons of oil and petroleum products every month. “This is enough,” he told Interfax.
Another lever of pressure on the current situation is the creation of a vertically integrated oil company, which will be controlled by the government. According to the Chairman of the Board of Naftogaz of Ukraine, Alexey Ivchenko, this “will allow the state to be an influential and adequate player in the petroleum products market,” since it will have about 40-50% of the market at its disposal and this will “once and for all solve the problem of sharp price fluctuations.” .
However, for now these are nothing more than grandiose projects of the Ukrainian authorities. So there is no guarantee yet that in the fall, when the next peak in consumption of fuels and lubricants arrives, they will not again introduce the practice of regulated prices. Denis REBROV, Svetlana STEPANENKO, Kyiv |
|
