Members of the Ukrainian Business Council discussed priority legislative projects and directions for economic recovery during a meeting with the Chairman of the Economic Development Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Dmytro Natalukha. The discussion took place within the framework of the roundtable “Recovery of Ukraine – Economic Policy, Deregulation, Demonopolization”. The roundtable was attended by business association leaders, enterprises, and representatives of analytical centers.
Participants in the discussion included Grigol Katamadze, President of the Association of Taxpayers of Ukraine, a member of the Supervisory Board of the Ukrainian Business Council; Mykhailo Nepran, First Vice President of the Trade and Industry Chamber of Ukraine, a member of the Ukrainian Business Council; Stanislav Tarshyn, owner of GradOliya, the association UkrOliyaProm; Anatoliy Dolynny, President of the Ukrainian Federation of Security Industry, a member of the Supervisory Board of the Ukrainian Business Council, and others.
Business representatives appealed to the parliamentarian to facilitate the approval of the Recovery Plan for Ukraine, which has been ready for a year and was considered during Committee hearings last month.
“Misunderstanding by the authorities of common problems leads to the fact that today we have no answers to many questions. Everyone talks about problems, but it is necessary to talk about specific solutions to these problems, and the ministries will be able to make these appropriate decisions,” noted Mykhailo Nepran, First Vice President of the Trade and Industry Chamber of Ukraine. In his opinion, it is necessary to approve the Recovery Plan as soon as possible and proceed with its implementation, as the lack of coordination among key institutions undermines trust in any initiatives for the country’s recovery.
The Committee Chairman promised to contact the Government regarding the status of the document. Meanwhile, business representatives emphasized that it would be advisable to implement key points of the plan without waiting for final approval. According to D. Natalukha, the Committee will discuss this issue during the week.
The Committee Chairman also raised specific issues that are currently on the agenda of the Committee and the Government’s work: public procurement, particularly from Ukrainian manufacturers, and creating conditions to support and streamline the operations of exporting enterprises.
Grigol Katamadze, President of the Association of Taxpayers of Ukraine, emphasized the need to stimulate the export of Ukrainian products and the initiatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in this direction: “I am convinced that among the KPIs of Ukrainian diplomatic missions, there should be one key point: how much Ukrainian products are present in the market of the country where the embassy is accredited. For example, this is what the Chileans and Argentinians did, who exported their wines to the global markets.”
Commenting on Grigol Katamadze’s proposals regarding the need to develop ways for Ukraine’s development not only as a country in need of international assistance but also in the perspective of becoming a donor country, Dmytro Natalukha mentioned that an important issue for Ukrainian diplomats is identifying foreign businesses willing to cooperate with Ukrainian businesses. Additionally, conditions must be created for people to return to Ukraine for its reconstruction.
Business association representatives suggested holding parliamentary hearings on the topic of “Recovery and Development of Entrepreneurship in Ukraine, Support for Small and Micro-Business, Innovation.” The Committee Chairman promised to discuss the idea with deputies and, if approved, schedule hearings for September.
Dmytro Natalukha commented on the issue raised by business association representatives regarding the problem of defense-related procurement. Difficulties arise with the procurement of pickups, trucks, drones, and changes to regulatory acts are needed to overcome these obstacles. The Committee Chairman agreed that the issue is relevant. A draft law has already been developed to address these shortcomings, and registration of the project in parliament is expected in the near future.
In response to questions about the need for state monopoly creation of electronic services, the deputy asked for examples and suggestions for solving the problem.
One of the goals of post-war recovery in Ukraine should be the restoration of human capital, business representatives emphasized. It is necessary to introduce investment and business visas, drastically simplify migration legislation, and stimulate wage growth through reductions in wage taxes. Participants recognized the importance of this direction, which should be implemented as part of the Ukraine Recovery Plan.
Additionally, during the meeting, the status of business-priority legislative projects was discussed. In particular, the important legislative project №7508 on modernizing public-private partnerships. Discussion participants agreed to involve three business associations in the working group and to invigorate the group’s work.
As for legislative projects №8138 and №9015 aimed at attracting investments for the recovery of Ukraine, the first document is scheduled for consideration next month.
Borys Emeldesh, President of the All-Ukrainian Professional Entrepreneurs Association, thanked the Committee Chairman for the swift consideration of the important law on market supervision liberalization (№5473d) and urged to adopt the project in its entirety as soon as possible. Dmytro Natalukha assured that the document would be submitted to the hall for final voting within the month.
Following the discussion, participants reached a common consensus on all issues and agreed to work on the discussed projects.
Conference organizers: Ukrainian Business Council, National Business Coalition.