Today, on May 31, 2019, Volodymyr Omelyan, the Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine together with Raivis Veckagans, the head of the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority and Patrick Verhoeven, the Managing Director at International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) took part in the round table "Development of the Port Industry". The event was organized by the European Business Association within the framework of the Ukrainian Ports Forum 2019 in Odesa.

The Minister of Infrastructure noted that the port industry plays a key role in the growth of the Ukrainian economy and is a part of the EU transport system:  “The total income generated by the market in the seaports of Ukraine according to the latest reports was at least $ 1.7 billion, which is 2% of gross domestic product country. I am glad that last week, during the High-Level Transport Dialogue between Ukraine and the EU, the European Commission clearly noted that the EU's infrastructure transport corridor ends at the eastern border of Ukraine, not on the western side”, - Volodymyr Omelyan said

The Minister of Infrastructure stressed that much was done by the Ministry to ensure the sustainable development of the port industry: “In 2018, a new edition of the Maritime Doctrine of Ukraine for the period until 2030 was adopted. The Sea Ports Development Strategy for the period until 2038 has been presented to the Government. The Maritime Administration was established and ensured its operation. We have been successfully passed the audit of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Ukraine has shown one of the best results among European countries. We are currently working on the further integration of seaports into the international TEN-T network as a way to ensure the implementation of the terms of the Association Agreement - and then the single sea window, transit routes, safe sea net, and more. "

The Minister said that in 2019, the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority plans to complete its commitments on five major infrastructure projects in five ports. The total investment of the government and business should be more than 16 billion UAH. More than UAH 3.5 billion was invested by the USPA in the development of the port infrastructure. Since 2015, investments have increased in 3.3 times. More than $ 100 million was invested by the USPA in the development of ports in the past two years. $ 926.65 million will be attracted in the port industry in the next few years. Most of this amount is public-private partnership projects. 30 projects for more than one billion dollars.

The Minister of Infrastructure noted that the result of the work of the Ministry and the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority is the steady growth of the positions of Ukrainian ports in the Global Competitiveness Index of the World Economic Forum. +16 points in 2018, brought Ukrainian ports on 77th place.

"The Ministry will continue to develop the port industry in Ukraine. Our goal is that Ukrainian ports do not compete with each other, but compete with European and world ports. This is achievable. Investors want and ready to work in Ukraine. Investors understand that infrastructure projects it is for years. If today the government together with the parliament and the president will introduce a transparent and effective model of cooperation between the state and business, such projects will surely be successful ", - Volodymyr Omelyan summed up.