Insights

Project description

The research has been prepared by specialists from Assistance Fund «Free Europe» (Moscow), consulting company «United Communications» (Moscow), International Institute of political expertise (Moscow), as well as Social Research Center «Sophia» (Kiev).

The aim of the project is analysis of both investing and expert community assessments of the current economic situation in Ukraine, the state of energy sector in Ukraine and its potential as a transit country of energy resources. More than 40 analysts and experts from consulting, investing and rating companies, international economic organizations and commercial banks
from EU, Russia and Ukraine as well as top managers and leading specialists from energy sector companies, the Department of Fuel and Energy in Ukraine and Minpromenergo in Russia have been interviewed.

The project presents summing up of integral assessments comprising not only analysis of the situation in the energy sector but also some recommendations as to its optimal development.

In a way, the research is continuation of the work, which was carried out by the authors in summer 2006 while evaluating «The investing potential of Ukraine». Some of the questions concerning common problems of Ukrainian economy development are included into the new project, which allows to assess not only the current state of the economy but also to observe the dynamics of
expert community assessments of these issues.

The interviewed experts’ answers can be grouped according to 4 topics:

1. Ukrainian economy. General issues.
2. The energy sector of Ukrainian economy.
3. Oil and gas market of Ukraine.
4. Ukrainian potential as a transit country of hydrocarbons.

The research was being carried out from 1 February up to 15 March,2007 in the form of both actual and phone interviews as well as questionnaires with a standard set of questions. Some of them were of the multiple choice kind, some implied the so called «free answer». Besides, accompanying the standard answers comments, on the part of experts, have also been taken into account. All the survey participants were guaranteed confidentiality and anonymity.

That’s why all data given further are presented in an aggregate form.

• All results are given in a percentage form, however, authors think that because of the small choice of answers their aggregate should be taken only as trends, rather than statistically significant data.
•  The list of organizations from which analysts have been interviewed comprises: UPECO, IFC Metropol, IC Prospect, Troika Dialog, Lesprom Industry Consulting, Veles Capital, Price Waterhouse Coopers, VIKA Broker, Capital, Energocapital, GC Region, EUROGREEN, Kiev energy research center, Council on energy sector policy (Kiev), «TNC-VR Ukraine», «Ukrneftehimpererabotka» («Ukroilchemrecycling»), «Ukrtransnafta», «CASE Ukraine», Anticrisis research center (Kiev), Corporate relations research Center (Kiev), «New concept» (Ukraine), UPCO Consulting Companry, NEC «Ukrenergo», Minpromenergo of Russia, SRI of Oil and Gas NAC «Neftegas», «Expert Ukraine», «Ukrainian center of economical and political research named after Alexander Razumkov», Fuel and Energy ministry of Ukraine, Ukraine Embassy in Russia, AG Capital, Antanta Capital, RBC, Nordbruk, IC Aton, Alpha Capital and others.