At the FIT for Ukraine: Annual Meeting called for reconstruction to begin now, without waiting for the war to end

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) can be an effective tool for financing the reconstruction of public infrastructure.

This was the theme that united the participants of the 2nd session of the largest investment forum organised by UkraineInvest in Warsaw as part of the ReBuild Ukraine exhibition on reconstruction. The aim of the discussion was to formulate concrete strategies and agreements between the state and the private sector for effective economic recovery.

Speakers discussed mechanisms of state support and incentives for the recovery of Ukrainian regions and industries with the participation of the private sector.

Key messages:

🔷 CSIS initiated the creation of the Commission for Economic Recovery of Ukraine. Its primary goal is to attract private sector investment. To this end, CSIS is convening a number of working groups that will address specific issues critical to modernising the Ukrainian economy, including agriculture, energy, transport and logistics – Daniel Rand – Senior Vice President, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)

🔷 Ukraine needs at least USD 400 billion to recover and rebuild. To accelerate access to private capital to rebuild infrastructure, we are developing an effective legal mechanism based on the existing UK PPP model – Ihor Marchuk, Member of Parliament of Ukraine

🔷 Attracting investment and energy-efficient technologies to Ukraine should be the basis of reconstruction. We are talking about saving millions of hryvnias in municipal budgets, competitive business, new jobs and the well-being of every family – Hanna Zamazeyeva, Head of the State Agency on Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving of Ukraine

🔷 PPPs are perhaps the only tool to attract large companies to rebuild cities and provide socially important services. Investors would be more interested in investing in projects such as heat production and distribution and waste recycling. PPPs in the development of industrial parks are also promising. Dnipro is a city that will accompany any investor and provide all possible conditions in its industrial parks, allocate land and connect to city communications – Volodymyr Miller, Deputy Mayor of Dnipro

🔷 The Business Ombudsman Council is designed to ensure an open and transparent dialogue between business and the state. It is necessary that formal and informal incentives are equal, so that development opportunities are a priority – Roman Vashchuk, Business Ombudsman in Ukraine

🔷 Poland has set up a programme for the reconstruction of Ukraine with the participation of Polish companies. The insurance covers a wide range of risks, including protecting Polish companies against losses caused by non-payment for goods or services supplied. It also includes reinsurance of transport insurance and a guarantee protecting banks issuing letters of credit – Dariusz Szymczycha, First Vice President of the Polish-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce

🔷 France has earmarked EUR 40 mln to support Ukraine’s recovery in 2023. In addition to bank guarantees and support for initiatives, France aims to support the private sector and build partnerships with Ukrainian companies. We are also committed to supporting the reconstruction of the Chernihiv region. We are very pleased to have been able to support several specific projects: six bridges and mine clearance assistance – Matilde Arjakovski, Deputy Head of the Financial Department, French Treasury

🔷 We are seeing a renewed interest from the French commercial sector in working in Ukraine, so France’s decision to provide guarantees to companies interested in rebuilding Ukraine is a signal that it is worthwhile to enter the Ukrainian market more actively. The insurance covers up to 95% of the loss of the investor’s assets or receivables – Emma Hooper, Head of Export Development in the International Expertise Coordination Department, Bpifrance Assurance Export

FIT for Ukraine is a series of investment forums for companies interested in Ukraine’s reconstruction. In 2023, more than 7,000 people from 65 countries attended FIT for Ukraine events.