Euro-2012 News Online

 On September, 25 UEFA executive office will decide the destiny of Europe Football Championship Final project and participation of Ukraine and Poland in it. Is there anything to boast of to European commission?

Till the last time mass-media spreads the information we may lose Euro-2012 and pass it on to Germany. Or else football forum hosts in 2012 will be not Ukraine and Poland but another more politically and economically stable European countries. We’re always being compared to our Championship co organizers, they say Poland is practically ready for Euro-2012 but Ukraine falls behind. It turns out that it’s not time to be in sackcloth and ashes. The experts are sure we virtually move nip and tuck with Poland in preparation for Euro-2012 final and even in some spheres we leave Poland behind.

Ukraine, after long dawdling and despite of political showdown reveals itself worth in the future event preparation especially after the visit of M. Platini when we they stuck our nose like a silly kitten in all the slipups and defects. We’ve realized our guilt and very shortly we managed to cope with pretty large amount of important questions. Much proves the meeting of supervisory board in Swiss Nyon on September, 18 where Ukraine passed without any problems. And now on September, 25 we can state firmly to those stern guys from UEFA commission - there isn’t any catastrophe but there’s normal dynamic approach to our goal.

Sports grounds keep up to the level.

Big step ahead for Ukraine was the opening of Dnepropetrovsk stadium. The quality of carried out works impressed all UEFA inspectors. The next one is the stadium in Donetsk. The issue of the most painful spot in Kiev - Troitskiy shopping mall is almost removed. Its dismantling work and Olimpiyskiy NSC reconstruction according to experts are carried out pretty vigorously. Backup cities as Kharkov and Odessa don’t fall behind. It’s possible that by 2012 the situation changes so that Football Federation of Ukraine will decide to make Kharkov arena the main one striking off from the list of cities applied for earlier the evident Euro-2012 preparation outsider.

Do we need hotels after Euro-2012?

The issue on reasonability to build new hotels for the Championship is discussed ardently in mass-media, by the experts and at the topic forum on the Internet.

The Committee for the public control of Euro-2012 assures it’s possible to avoid the excess of rooms remaining unengaged after the Championship. The existing problem just needs to be treated wisely.

The big problem still remains with the airports and roads construction meeting the UEFA standards.

The airport issue isn’t decided completely in the Cabinet of Ministers. Relationships between huge numbers of owners of the same airport aren’t regulated: the runway has one owner, the infrastructure - second, air traffic controllers belong to the third one.

Experts are sure the situation will start to change after the Department of Vinskiy introduces order in his office. Yet, according to UEFA data Euro-2012 requirements will be satisfied only by Warsaw, Gdansk, Poznan, Khozhuv, Krakow and Lvov. European inspectors suppose that even taking in consideration development plans and preliminary decisions they won’t succeed in reaching the demanded level with the air gates of Wroclaw, Kiev, Dnepropetrovsk, Donetsk and Odessa. The situation is sad. 

The situation with roads isn’t clear either. In particular, the issue of Lvov region highways and of Western Ukraine in general is critical connected with flood aftermath.

The problem is that Poland-Ukraine highways have to smoothly change into the same road category - number one. Anyway, the issue can be solved somehow. Everything depends on new “Autodor” management. There’s one thing to hope for - that the allocated finances will be spent according to the intended purpose.

 Vyacheslav Koloskov, member of the UEFA executive office is assured at tomorrow’s UEFA meeting where Euro-2012 destiny will be decided the executive office won’t take away the right for hosting the Championship in Ukraine and it may provide financial assistance.

“At UEFA meeting in Bordeaux there will be examined report of special commission, created one year ago and monitoring changes dynamics in correspondence with the plans presented by Poland and Ukraine. Three months ago it was stated all preparation dates are ruined, almost all the preparation components as stadiums, airports and hotels are in high-risk zone. This raised UEFA’s anxiety. After this commission came twice to Ukraine, Mr. Platini paid visit to Kiev. Finally in Bordeaux we have to receive resolution on what changes were made in correspondence with construction schedules for important objects. That’s the idea of executive office” - said Mr. Koloskov.

According to V. Koloskov, Ukraine shouldn’t expect for bad news. “Commission’s report resolution will be the one - no switch of host-countries in any case, as underlined FIFA President during my talk with him. This was the issue I spoke on with some UEFA officials. But it’s clear there’ll be rigorous control. Probably, certain emergency measures will be taken, perhaps some financial support provided but no way to taking Euro-2012 away”.

 V. Koloskov has also précised the meaning of “some financial support” phrase.

“They may borrow something. If we lack funds for certain sports objects the executive office, probably, will examine the question of donating finances at low interest rate to prepare everything for the Championship in time. That’s backup option. There weren’t such precedents before but I don’t except this”.

 According to Mr. Koloskov, M. Platini was assured by the promises as to successful preparation for Euro-2012 given by the President and Prime Minister of Ukraine.

 ”The main problem is in political unstable situation in the country. All these years there was struggle for power and Euro-2012 wasn’t in the spotlight. The last visit of M. Platini, where he met with the President V. Yushchenko and Prime Minister Y. Timoshenko, especially with the prime, who showed what she as government leader is going to do, assured UEFA officials. They count on those promises given by V. Yushchenko and Y. Timoshenko. If the President and Prime Minister draw their attention to political struggle and forget about Euro-2012 than we may possibly lose the right for Europe Championship. The September executive office meeting isn’t the last one. If during this period nothing changes to the better but yet the other way round, than the resolution on taking away Euro-2012 isn’t late to be passed in December”.

 During Vienna Days celebrated in Lvov now city officials want to adopt Vienna’s practices as to hosting large-scale football forums and also how to rescue historical center of the city.

“We’re really interested in your experience, the way you hosted Europe Championship in Vienna” - stated mayor of Lvov Andrey Sadovuy to the Vienna delegation headed by Andreas Maylat-Pokorni, chief of Culture Department for mayor’s office.

Lvov municipal authorities are already actively working over the plans how to bring its infrastructure - streets, heating and water supply systems which are partially in catastrophic state, - in the proper condition for Europe Championship.  At the moment details of financing license for new stadium construction are being agreed. Yet it’s been decided the order for construction would receive Austrian building company, precisely - Alpine Bau (called earlier Alpine Mayreder), according to Austrian Die Presse as informs InozmiGlavred. Also help of Vienna professionals would be needed in protecting historical sites and preserving old part of the city because Lvov’s old part as well as Vienna’s center is included in UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list. This draws additional responsibilities. The issues mentioned above have to be discussed at the meeting where some Austrian defenders of historical sites will participate.

Lvov (where live 800 000 residents) has already faced the danger to lose its UNESCO World Cultural Heritage status. The reason was construction of an up-to-date bank right in Lvov’s center despite of fierce protests. The bank manager tied hands to construction opponents having opened cultural center in bank’s office and promoting its development.

Lvov historical sites’ defenders see problems in corruption first of all. According to the expert, with the help of money one can carry out anything he wants to here, and to pass over any building standards. One more problem - lack of funds and thereafter lack of quality which shows up in plastic windows made in historical buildings.

 Within the last week foreign mass-media continued tracing issue of Ukraine and Poland’s preparation to host final part of Europe Football Championship- 2012.

The greatest attention was drawn to opening in Dnepropetrovsk the first stadium in Ukraine and Poland where there will be hosted final matches of Euro-2012.

France Press agency (AFP) on this occasion has noted that “the President of Ukraine Victor Yushchenko by symbolical nock on a ball opened on the new 31-thousand seats’ stadium football duel between veterans of a local team “Dniper” and Moscow “Spartak”. AFP also informed in following year construction of 53,5-thousand seats’ stadium in Donetsk will come to the end, where will be approximately spent EUR 173 mln.

The main Ukrainian sports arena of Euro-2012 - Olimpiyskiy stadium in Kiev, marks the French news agency, now is in an active phase of reconstruction which should come to the end in June, 2010. The popular Internet-portal in Poland gazeta.pl in a material “Euro-2012. 1:0  to Ukraine ” in detail tells about characteristics of stadium in Dnepropetrovsk”. New stadium is created especially for football, - highlights the author. - We were made sure each seat has fine visibility, and all the stands have reliable overlapping”.

In the message it is marked, that during construction the project changed, that the stadium met the requirements of UEFA. Gazeta.pl also informs in the year to come near the stadium there will be constructed parking lot under which city authorities have allocated significant site.

As transfers the Polish press agency (PAP), the president of football association РП (PZPN) Michal Listkevich considers opening the stadium in Dnepropetrovsk “as a corner stone of preparation of Ukraine and Poland for Euro-2012″. “Despite of that the celebration occurs in Ukraine, I am touched. That’s an important event both for Ukraine and for Poland “, - the influential official expressed his own attitude to the Polish journalists as to opening the arena.

He has recognized that from the point of view of stadiums construction, Ukraine is now ahead of Poland, however he believes soon in RP construction of objects for European Championship Euro-2012 will begin. In M.Listkevich’s opinion, the stadium in Dnepropetrovsk can be an example for all host-cities of football Euro forum in 2012 representatives of which have been invited to solemn opening ceremony.

Last week Polish press concentrated on highlighting the questions of necessary infrastructure preparation for carrying out Euro-2012.

According to the message of PAP, minister of an infrastructure in Poland Tsezari Grabarchik estimates necessary level of investments into railway sphere of RP in EUR 9 bln. These means are planned to be spent for purchasing modern railway trains for “Polish state railways intercity” (PSR Intercity) and “Polish state railways -regional transfer” (PSR Przewozy Regionalne), and also on modernization of tracks and stations.

Polish press agency has placed information about carrying out in the city of Chorzow within the limits of preparation for Euro-2012 of the three-day Ukrainian-Polish conference devoted to a safety issue of sports competitions. Among members of the forum, in particular, there were also representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and Poland.

 ”Objective of our conference is initiating cooperation on a line the citizen - police.

In the countries of the Western Europe the problem of football hooligans is successfully solved, so we invite teachers from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It’s necessary to understand, that Europe Championship isn’t only stadiums, hotels, transport communications but also security”, - the speaker of police school in Katowice city, Jacek Kosmaty has noted importance of a component to the organization of Euro-2012.

Minister of sports and tourism of Poland Miroslaw Dzewetsky as informs PAP, has confirmed interest of the country’s government to participation of the Chinese companies in preparation for Europe Championship in Poland in 2012.

The Chinese companies “have absolute ability to build everything at a high level”, the Polish official is convinced. He has carried out visit to China at the end of August this year with vice-premier, Minister of Economics RP Valdemar Pavljak. Then during the talks with the head of PRC Hu Jintao and heads of the leading building companies of the country, conditions of their output on the Polish market for construction of the objects necessary for carrying out of Euro-2012 in RP were discussed.

At the same time, Mr. Dzewetsky underlined that the Chinese firms will not have any advantages over Polish or Western companies during bidding process for performance of a different sort of works.

 ”The Chinese companies which will take part in competitions, should meet the same requirements as the others do”, - he has noted.

 On September, 25 in Zagreb (Croatia) Andrey Sadovy, Lvov city chairman will meet reps of Croatian “Bonaventure firm” which wishes to be the investor and the subcontractor of stadium in Lvov for Euro-2012, and also - with representatives of “Industrogradia” company which wishes to reconstruct infrastructure in Lvov. Chairman of Football Federation in Lvov region Yaroslav Grisyo informed about it on September, 16.

According to Yaroslav Grisyo, he knows about desire of two parties to hold such meeting. “In any case “Alpina” remains the general contractor”, - has noted Grisyo.

In his turn director of department for Euro-2012 of Lvov city council Oleg Zasadniy noted he isn’t one of the negotiating parties so he can’t make any comments.

“The city authority conducts work on attracting the contractors. We have meetings with Italian, Turkish, Greek, Hungarian and Croatian companies which declare their readiness to take part in realization of the project. There’re many companies declaring more than they can do, so we should look through their activity seriously”, - underlined Oleg Zasadniy.