he world of trade is tough and ruthless. Ousted to the wayside are the weakest, who fail to reorganize themselves at high speed. Conditions for survival in the market are getting inexorably tougher and Ukrainian exporters cannot do without taking this into account. International competition is sharpening. Competing in the more promising and dynamic segments of the world market are predatory cut-throat Western transnational corporations. Ukrainian financial-industrial groups are like timid fledglings trying to break through the thick shell of the state. Should Ukraine make a competitive attempt, such as for instance the AN-70 plane project, it will come up against a powerful blockade by transnational giants. Liberalization of international trade following the completion of the Uruguayan round of GATT negotiations has launched a new spiral of rivalry. Machines and equipment put on international markets by new competitors, such as China, India, Thailand and others, are exacerbating the competitive struggle and ousting the more laggard enterprises in post-Soviet states.

ncreasing requirements to the technological and quality standards of products. The competitiveness of products is increasingly determined by how promptly technological innovations are introduced and by quality guarantees. For Ukraine, given its backward technological base, this transformation of priorities presents a serious problem. We should not disregard the fact that over the past 10 years we have lost a considerable part of our scientific and technological potential and therefore it is too problematic for us to catch up on our own.