Ukraine Focus Group—new partnerships between Catalonia Trade & Investment and Ukrainian Regions

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At the launch of a new platform for cooperation between EU and Ukrainian enterprises, Catalonia Trade and Investment (ACCIÓ) signed letters of intention with Ukrainian member regions Odesa and Dnipropetrovsk

It is no secret that financing Ukraine’s reconstruction and recovery will depend, to a large extent, on significant financial support from international institutions, with recent estimates putting the total cost of reconstruction at nearly 500 billion euro.

While most of the headlines (rightly) focus on immediate needs for reconstruction, less is being written about the need to secure private sector partnerships and investments that will rebuild the economy in the mid- to long-term. Indeed, the Ukraine Facility, the European Union’s 50 billion euro recovery fund, underlines the need to mobilise investment “to catalyse rapid economic recovery and sustainable growth, laying the groundwork for long-term prosperity”. This is where regions in the EU and their counterparts in Ukraine have a vital part to play.

Interregional economic cooperation will be a key driver of Ukraine’s reconstruction and economic development. That is why on 16 and 17 September, AER President, Albert Castellanos convened Ukrainian regions and the Catalan business community in Barcelona to launch “EU-Ukraine Investment and Reconstruction“, a platform to promote EU business cooperation with Ukrainian regions.

The idea of this platform, promoted by Agora Diplomatica and chaired by the Center for International Affairs, according to the AER President, “is to forge new relationships between EU and Ukrainian enterprises that will drive Ukraine’s recovery,” adding “to build these new relationships, you need to the right facilitators and the right spaces, this is where our Ukraine Focus Group has real added value.”

Over two days, delegations from Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv were welcomed to Barcelona for a series of study visits, capacity-building and networking sessions, as well as meetings with the leadership of the Catalan Government, notably Jaume Duch Guillot, Minister for the European Union and Foreign Action. The delegates also heard from the European Commission about specific supports available to Ukrainian enterprises and regions under the Ukraine Investment Framework.

An important milestone was reached when regions Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa signed Letters of Intention with ACCIÓ Trade & Investment, which will strengthen collaboration in sectors crucial to Ukraine’s reconstruction and recovery. Building on this agreement, these regions will take part in a special meeting of the Ukraine Focus Group in Barcelona as part of the upcoming Smart Cities World Expo. On 7 November, ACCIÓ has organised dedicated B2B matchmaking sessions with Spanish companies working in vital sectors like sustainable energy, water management and innovative building technology. This will be a real opportunity to lay the groundwork for lasting partnerships between EU and Ukrainian stakeholders.