GREAT OPPORTUNITIES AND INACCESSIBLE DREAMS

Abstract

Since the independence, Ukraine has got about a quarter of the marine infrastructure and the civilian fleet, as well as the economic structure focused to the maritime transport, fisheries, and maritime technology. This would be a powerful potential source of the economic development of not only the marine economy, but the entire economy as well. Meanwhile, the inability of the country to effectively use the property led to the loss of most of its components. As of the present date, only Ukraine’s ports transport complex operates more or less normally. But the government of the country has decided to privatize them through lease and concession. The main factor that determines the implementation of the privatization of ports in the world is the need to attract the significant investments to address the existing problems of the port activity. However, nobody can now give a substantiated answer to the question whether this problem for Ukraine’s ports will be solved in the direction necessary for the state and the society.
By itself, the chaotic privatization is associated with significant risks. It can lead even to the emergence of port monopolies that will restrain the competition on the market, by shifting the focus of the port development (including social and environmental) to the technological parts of other business and to the getting of a profit in other economic sectors. This can cause the conflicts with clients. Therefore, the result of the privatization will not lead to a better quality of port services and the efficiency of production activities.
So, before the start of the denationalization and the privatization of ports, it is necessary to determine the mechanisms that will be able to enforce a fair competition in the port services.
To achieve this, the authors propose to amend the Laws of Ukraine “On sea ports” and “On railway transport”, Strategy and Program of development of Ukraine’s sea ports, Program of corporatization of Ukrainian railways, etc.
At the same time, for overcoming the crisis in other components of the marine economy of the country, Ukraine’s government should return to the implementation of a decision of the National Security Council on May 16, 2008 “On measures to ensure the development of Ukraine as a maritime state.” Only such a complex approach can stop, in our opinion, the negative trends in the functioning of Ukraine’s marine economy and can create conditions for its efficient development.