1. Works on the construction of the section of the road Nyzhankovychy – Drohobych – Stryi, which leads to the new crossing point “Nyzhankovychy – Malhovice” on the border of Ukraine and Poland, which is planned to be opened by the end of the year, are being completed. It is intended for cars and trucks with a total weight of up to 3.5 tons.

2. The system of consumer rights protection will be improved in Ukraine. The Verkhovna Rada has preliminarily adopted draft law 6134, which establishes new rules for guaranteeing goods, fines for entrepreneurs for violating consumer rights, regulate the procedure for handling consumer complaints, and even proposes to block online stores that violate the requirements of the law.

3. Furniture makers who sell their products on their own should heed the advice of Viktoria Bozhok, the business development manager of the Payoneer company in Ukraine, that in the current conditions, so-called soft sales are more useful than classic ones. It is about a more flexible, consulting approach to a potential client and a less assertive style of communication with him.

4. In September, as we already reported, Ukraine joined the “Digital Europe” program, the purpose of which is to introduce digital technologies to enterprises, to bring the country closer to “digital visa-free” with the European Union. It became known that the first eight tenders for Ukrainian projects have already been opened. The budget for grants under the program is six billion euros. More details -eurointegration@thedigital.gov.ua

5. The National Bank predicts that due to the continued shortage of skilled labor in certain industries and significant disparities in the labor market, nominal wages will increase by almost a third in 2023 and exceed the pre-war level, and by another 28% in 2024. However, wage growth in real terms will be quite slow given the high inflation and lower than pre-war productivity.

6. The Administration of Seaports of Ukraine introduced an electronic queue for processing ships in the ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Yuzhnoye. According to the administration’s forecast, the electronic queue should create more transparent and comfortable conditions for business. Now you can familiarize yourself with the electronic queue on the website of the state-owned enterprise.

7. Yavorina furniture factory furnished the luxurious Fairmont Grand Hotel in Kyiv, producing furniture for the restaurant, bar, and public areas, as well as for standard rooms, deluxe rooms, royal, and presidential rooms according to the customer’s individual and technical specifications.

8. Ever-increasing requirements for the environmental friendliness of products also apply to furniture. In Germany, a special mark – Green Product Mark will be introduced for furniture that fully meets ecological parameters as a comprehensive environmental certification. The new test mark takes into account all aspects: from the choice of materials, the method of production, and product safety to social factors.

9. Makhno Studio created a lamp collection Bavovna, part of the proceeds from the sale of which will be donated to the “Bavovna” project from the Serhiy Prytula Charitable Foundation. Ceramic lamps of the series are shaped like cotton boxes, decorated with gold and copper inside, they simulate an internal fire a second before the explosion.

10. The international exhibition of office furniture and equipment “Orgatec”, restored after a long covid break, ended in Cologne. The focus of the forum was on how our working conditions have changed in recent years and how office furniture manufacturers react to them – what remains relevant and what had to be changed.