You're reading: Wednesday headlines: Azarov’s new agenda for European integration, Segodnya’s illegal herb business

Ukraine's Prime Minister Mykola Azarov traveled to Luxembourg on June 25 to take part in the Ukraine-EU session that fine-tuned the list of Ukraine's commitments to fulfill to be able to sign an Association Agreement in November.

Ukraine has committed to approving the law on prosecutor’s office, as well as amending the controversial points of the law on referendum, but stopped short of promising it would approve the Electoral Code, which would regulate procedures of all elections in the country, writes Serhiy Sydorenko in Kommersant.ua.

EU Commissioner on Foreign Policy Catherine Ashton took part in the session, apparently as a signal to demonstrate Europe’s hope that the Association Agreement will be signed this year. Azarov described the meeting as “extremely intensive, interesting and – most importantly – constructive.”

Seven directors of state-owned sanatoriums, or rest homes in Crimea, are expected to lose their jobs as a result of the health ministry’s inspections, writes Ukrainska Pravda. The ministry found “systemic inactivity” and negligence of the budget-sponsored officials who run the health establishments. The recent inspections were prompted by a tragic accident in a sanatorium in southern Crimea at the end of May, when one child died and two were seriously injured as a result of a collapse of a balcony.

Ukraine’s Ministry for Economic Development and Trade approved the list of 70 investment project set to receive government support as a part of an ongoing State Program for Activation of Economic Development in 2013-2014 to send to banks for consideration. Those programs that will be approved by Ukreximbank and Ukrgazbank will receive large credits under government guarantees. The total estimates value of the 70 cherry-picked projects is Hr 103.6 billion, of which Hr 37.8 billion is expected to come from banks, writes Forbes.ua

Segodnya daily newspaper discovered how easy it is to run an illegal business in the center of the capital right before the eyes of the police. On Sunday, June 24, the newspaper set up an illegal tent first on Maidan Nezalezhnosti, and then in other locations to sell herbs and medicinal plants without any permissions or oversight. Journalists managed to rebuff most attempts to close them down with a simple “We have everything arranged with you-know-who.”