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Business news: companies, markets, investment climate, taxes and opportunities for entrepreneurs.
Where in Europe people cannot afford a week's vacation - statistics
In 2025, 27.5% of EU residents aged 16 and over could not afford a week's holiday away from home. At the same time, over the past ten years, the situation has generally improved: in 2015, there were 35.2% of such people. However, the difference between countries remains very large. In Romania, the share of people who cannot afford a week's holiday is 61%, while in Switzerland and Norway it is about 9%.
In half a year, Ukraine increased imports of agricultural products to $4.7 billion: alcohol and fish rose in price the most
In the first half of 2026, Ukraine imported agricultural food products worth $4.7 billion. This is 8% more than in the same period last year. Purchases of alcohol and non-alcoholic beverages, fish, seafood and fruit increased most noticeably.
The "Google tax" brought UAH 11.3 billion to the budget of Ukraine in seven months
Foreign technology companies continue to actively pay VAT on electronic services they sell to Ukrainian users. For January-July 2026, such receipts to the state budget reached UAH 11.3 billion — UAH 1.5 billion more than in the same period last year.
Ukraine wants to expand business insurance against war risks: what will change
The Ministry of Economy and Environment is preparing changes to the state program for business insurance against military risks. The government wants to expand the list of properties and enterprises that will be able to use the program, as well as increase the maximum compensation for the cost of insurance.
ChatGPT expands free access: text chats can become unlimited
OpenAI has updated ChatGPT and expanded the capabilities of the free version of the service. Unlimited text communication, a new mode of deep analysis and an updated model are opened to users. Some of the new features are already available to users in Ukraine.
The "October Palace" in Kyiv, worth about 1 billion UAH, was returned to state ownership
The Commercial Court of Kyiv satisfied the lawsuit of the prosecutor's office and decided to return the complex of buildings of the former "October Palace" to the state. The estimated cost of the architectural complex is about UAH 1 billion. The lawsuit was filed by the prosecutor's office in the interests of the state in the person of the State Property Fund of Ukraine. The court decision concerns the ownership of one of the largest cultural and concert venues in the capital.
OpenAI removes limits on text chats in free ChatGPT
Unlimited correspondence OpenAI plans to expand the possibilities of free tariffs. Starting next week, Free users will be able to have unlimited text chats with ChatGPT.
Meta was fined $567 million due to the safety of children on social networks
The company Meta Platforms must pay $567 million to a special fund for mental health of young people and change the principles of operation of Facebook and Instagram for minors. A New Mexico court found the platforms a public threat because of their impact on children and insufficient protections against sexual exploitation.
What changes are proposed? One of the draft laws provides for strengthening the norms regarding the use of the state language. In particular, it is planned to: expand the list of officials who are obliged to use the Ukrainian language during the performance of official duties; to simplify the procedure of checks and consideration of complaints regarding violations of language legislation; strengthen the protection of the Ukrainian language in the field of education, culture, activities of local self-government bodies and during election processes. The parliament notes that international partners will be informed in advance about the proposed changes in order to avoid speculations about a possible violation of the rights of national minorities. Fines for Russian music can increase thousands of times. The Committee also supported the draft law, which introduces a real mechanism of responsibility for the reproduction of Russian music in public institutions and the service sector. It is proposed to establish the following fines: UAH 8.5 thousand — for the first violation; up to UAH 170,000 for repeated violations. Currently, the legislation also contains a ban on the public reproduction of Russian music in certain cases, but the current administrative fines are only from 17 to 170 hryvnias, which, according to the authors of the draft law, does not have a deterrent effect. How the punishment procedure will change The document also provides for a change in the prosecution mechanism. If the law is passed, the Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language will be able to impose a fine directly during the inspection, without a prior order or requirement to eliminate the violation. This should make control more operational and effective. The committee also asks to support the book industry In addition to the language draft laws, the parliamentary committee appealed to the government with a proposal to strengthen support for the Ukrainian publishing industry. Among the initiatives: the allocation of funds for the restoration of the Book Chamber building, damaged as a result of Russian shelling; financing of equipping the book depository with the necessary equipment; development of assistance programs for Ukrainian publishing houses that suffered losses due to a full-scale war. Currently, the draft laws are only recommended by the committee for consideration. The final decision on the introduction of new fines and changes to the language legislation must be taken by the Verkhovna Rada during the voting.
The Committee of the Verkhovna Rada on humanitarian and information policy recommended that the parliament adopt draft laws that strengthen the protection of the Ukrainian language and introduce effective fines for the public reproduction of Russian music in institutions and the service sector. The initiators explain that the current ban actually does not work because of the symbolic amounts of punishment.
Massive attack on the Kyiv region: which Ukrainian companies were affected by the Russian shelling
As a result of the massive Russian attack on Kyiv and the Kyiv region on the night of August 5, logistics centers, warehouses and production facilities of a number of Ukrainian and international companies were damaged. Businesses are already assessing the scale of destruction and damage, while some facilities have temporarily suspended work.
Ukraine is moving to a new electronic signature standard: what will change from September 1
From September 1, 2026, a new standard of qualified electronic signature (QES) will come into force in Ukraine. The Cabinet of Ministers decided on the final transition to the Ukrainian Kupina cryptographic algorithm, which will replace the outdated Soviet GOST standard. The new algorithm should strengthen the protection of electronic signatures against modern cyber threats and ensure the technological independence of the state.
Losses in the billions: Wildberries moves warehouses abroad after Ukraine destroys more than 20% of logistics capacity
The largest Russian marketplace Wildberries decided to move long-term storage goods to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Belarus after Ukrainian drone attacks destroyed and damaged more than 20% of its logistics facilities. The company strives to minimize the risks of new losses and preserve product stocks.