FSO deal uncertain after question raised over AwtoZAZ

The news was delivered by a special commission drawn up by Ukraine's Prime Minister. The commission included representatives of AwtoZAZ who admitted that newly passed regulations led to the increase in prices in the whole automotive sector in Ukraine, which led to a fall in sales by almost a third. "Such information cannot be ignored. We will definitely closely examine the situation of the investor before signing the final contract," said Janusz Kwiatkowski, State Treasury spokesperson. However, industry experts emphasize that the announcement might be just a ruse by AwtoZAZ to put pressure on the Ukrainian authorities not to introduce any further tax reduction restrictions and complex regulations, which are halting the growth of numerous businesses. (Puls Biznesu, pp. 1, 4) A.K.