OREANDA-NEWS. On November 18, 2008 International conference on development of Ukrainian automobile industry- AutoPROm.UA 2008 took place in Kyiv, reported the press-centre of UkrAVTO.

All of key figures of domestic automobile industry, representatives of Cabinet of Ministers and heads of foreign automobile plants participated in this conference.

Participants unambiguously spoke in support of a necessity of urgent steps from government to meet domestic producers. "Future of industry depends on either we give up our positions to import or we sell our own automobiles" - says Minister of industrial policy of Ukraine Novitsky V.

Against supporting of automobile industry in all of producing countries, domestic automobile industry is left face to face with setback in production and crisis influence. Information about reduction or even temporary suspension of production of world automobile giants every day appears in mass-media. It did not touch Ukraine yet. "We did not stop our production itself - the plant was operated at a slow pace", - insists vice-president of UkrAvto corporation Oleg Papashev. He also mentioned that production plans had been reduced, but plant is working on extension of export share.

According to Petr Poroshenko, application of customs duties is an emergency measure to help crisis-ridden industry and to improve balance of payment. People's deputy Tariel Vasadze has similar position:"There is no discussion about increasing of duties - it needs to be done. The real added cost must be created inside the country, otherwise import can't save the situation. I think that increasing of duties is absolutely right decision, if balance of payment is violated".

For now, in Ukraine there are no real actions on stabilization of situation in this industry in contrast to many other countries. Remember that year 2008 in Ukraine is marked by serious exceeding of import over export, that results in devaluation of hryvnia and production decrease on the most of Ukrainian plants.