On October 5, Sumy hosted a business meeting with government officials: “Business of the Northern Region: Challenges of Martial Law and Ways to Recovery.” It was organized by: NGO “BA “4Business”, the Council of Entrepreneurs at the Sumy Oblast, NGO “Syaivo Severshchyna”, with the support of the Center for International Private Entrepreneurship (IPE).
Representatives of the URB, members of the Council of Entrepreneurs of Sumy region, representatives of business associations of Sumy, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, and Poltava regions, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Regional Development Agency, and representatives of local authorities of the northern regions took part in the discussion.
The main issues of the meeting: actual problems of business in the conditions of war; the main obstacles to business development in the northern region; key services for support and development of MSMEs; strategic recovery plan.
Economist, analyst of the Economic Expert Platform, Oleg Hetman, presented the results of a study on the implementation of the TOP-10 priorities of Ukrainian business-2022. According to his assessment, significant institutional changes took place during the year, but little has changed in matters of dialogue between business and the government.
“Implementation of the TOP-10 business priorities-2022 at the level of 20%. But work with people’s deputies, representatives of the Cabinet of Ministers, and local authorities continues. And at the nearest Forum on October 9, we will further promote the implementation of these priorities,” Oleg Getman said. He also informed about the partial implementation of one of the most important points of the top business priorities – state insurance of military risks. “The National Bank of Ukraine allowed foreign currency payments and now most insurance companies in Ukraine can re-insure with large insurers like Lloyd’s, insure any real estate, equipment and so on. But these are paid services. At the same time, draft law No. 9015 is moving to the second reading, which provides that the state will undertake to insure military risks of any investors related to exports free of charge. We are expecting this bill for the second reading in October,” Oleg Hetman said. Kostyantyn Megem, first deputy head of the Chernihiv OVA, said that the interests of businesses that have the courage to work in border areas must be systematically supported: “We all understand that business gave a lot for defense in February-March 2022, and now it is gradually recovering. State grant programs do not cover all business needs at this time. Chernihiv OVA will lobby for business needs in order to create more attractive investment conditions.”
Taras Savchenko, the first deputy head of Sumy OVA, thanked the entrepreneurs from the border regions who are not relocating and assured that the local government, as a partner, will continue to support them: “Under the program of assistance to entrepreneurs who have suffered destruction in terms of real estate, from the regional budget already 9 million hryvnias were allocated.” Oleksandr Shaforost, head of the Association of Farmers and Private Landowners of Sumy Oblast, focused on the problem of blocking VAT and the increase in the land tax burden for entrepreneurs in 2023: “The price of grain products has decreased three times, and our producers are forced to pay additional taxes! We have a collective problem of the front-line territory – constantly driving through roadblocks.”
Among other things, the participants of the meeting stated that businesses that have relocated abroad need incentives to return now, and businesses from the border should be given access to grant programs and loans. The organizers of the meeting summarized these and other comments and suggestions for publication at the Business Forum on October 9 in Kyiv – “Dialogue of civil society, business and government: Course for the Restoration of Ukraine”.