President Viktor Yanukovych has instructed Vice Prime Minister Serhii Tihipko to study expediency of renewal of the functioning of free economic zones in Ukraine.
Tihipko said this on the Inter television channel on Friday evening.
"[The president] has given two specific orders and today [March 26] the work is underway already. Those include an order to study our experience concerning the free economic zones and international experience, so as to draw up a formula today for introducing these zones for technology-intensive productions first and foremost," said Tihipko.
He [Tihipko] believes the creation of free economic zones is justified for technology-intensive productions.
Tihipko said the president gave these instructions on March 24.
Also, President Viktor Yanukovych has instructed Tihipko to tackle the creation of a powerful investment agency to pursue simplification of implementation in Ukraine of large-scale investment projects and to form a package of investment projects for attracting foreign investors.
Tihipko said Yanukovych is determined to carry out reforms.
As Ukrainian News earlier reported, Communist Party of Ukraine Leader Petro Symonenko urged President Viktor Yanukovych and the Cabinet of Ministers to be refrain from rashly renewing free economic zones and the territories of priority development in Ukraine.
The leader of the Communist Party, which is now a part of the majority coalition in the Verkhovna Rada, believes that tenewing free economic zones and the territories of priority development requires the creation of innovative-investment programs for each free economic zone or territory of priority development.
Otherwise, free economic zones and the territories of priority development can be used for money laundering, according to Symonenko.
Then Party of Regions Leader Viktor Yanukovych in September 2009 said he wanted to renew free economic zones and the territories of priority development if elected the president of Ukraine.
In 1999-2004, Ukraine created 11 free economic zones and 9 territories of priority development.
In March 2005, the Verkhovna Rada in the law on the national budget for 2005 canceled benefits provided for the free economic zones and the territories of priority development.
