On 19^th July, 2000 the guest session of the Board of SEZ of the Donetsk region was held in Gorlovka. The results of the activities of the Board for 2 years' work were under consideration at the session.

In his report the secretary of the Board, V.P. Pismak, noted that within these two years 91 investment projects to the amount of 678 mln. USD have been approved in the Donetsk region to be realized within the framework of SEZ and TPD. The most part of the projects - 45, to the amount of 379 mln. USD, falls into the key branches of industry: metallurgical, chemical, coal mining, engineering; as for the light and food industries, they have 20 projects to the amount of 155 mln. USD. These figures indicate that the investors' interests are serious and long-term. The investors are not in a rush for quick profits. They intend to work on the long-term basis for many years. It is important to note, that the foreign investments are engaged in more than half of the projects. 66 investment projects to the sum of 446,8 mln. USD are being realized now. Already now the SEZ and TPD are brining a return. 29 enterprises, where 38 investment projects are being realized, produced goods to the amount of more than 800 mln. UAH. The products with the total cost of 205 mln. UAH have been exported to the neighbouring countries and abroad.

At the Board session there has been discussed and appraised the work of the local authorities which cities and districts are included in SEZ and TPD. The most part of the projects were accepted in Donetsk - 32; in Mariupol and Krasnoarmeisk - 7. Nevertheless, among 22 towns with the status of being the Territory of Priority Development there are exactly half which till now have not accepted any projects. These are such towns as Ugledar, Torez, Snezhnoje, Slavyansk and others.

Among the enterprises Open Stock Company "Donetsk metallurgical plant" is in the lead concerning the sum of investments attracted. It managed to attract more than 95 mln. USD. Due to the realization of these investments the plant issued more than 120 ths tons of steel. Open Stock Company "Stirol" has already realized 6 from 12 projects. Besides, there are more achievements reached owing to the investments. For example, new facilities have been introduced in the mines "Krasnolimanskaya" and "Krasnoarmeiskaya-Zapadnaya" where 2,1 mln. tons of coal was extracted; the Sunflower Seeds Processing plant "Cargill" works in Donetsk.

On the whole we can conclude that despite some difficulties the policy of the economic development of the SEZ and TPD with the investment activity is being carried out successfully.