A meeting of the Council on Entrepreneurship Support under the President of Ukraine was held, chaired by the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov. It was attended by Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko, government officials, deputy heads of the Presidential Office, members of parliament, and business representatives.
Kyrylo Budanov noted that there had been an open and substantive discussion of key challenges during the previous meeting and that solutions had been developed over the past two months.
Yuliia Svyrydenko reported that, thanks to joint efforts with the Verkhovna Rada, VAT on the supply of ground robotic systems (GRS) had been abolished, and localization requirements had also been extended to defense procurement. In addition, the Ministry of Defense has been enabled to procure innovative models for testing in real combat conditions, while the Government has approved clear rules on the protection of intellectual property rights for defense developments and their use. Within the framework of the Made in Ukraine policy, new opportunities are being created to support enterprises affected by strikes.
“Until recently, the main question was what Europe could give Ukraine. Today, it is increasingly clear that the reality is different. Ukraine is becoming one of the key factors in the future security and competitiveness of the European Union. That is why our work must go beyond current challenges. We must shape a vision of Ukraine’s economy of the future,” Kyrylo Budanov stressed.
The meeting presented the draft strategy “Economy of the Future.” It is being developed by the Government, together with the World Bank, McKinsey, international experts, and Ukrainian business. The strategy is intended to define a 10–15-year direction and become a modern equivalent of a Marshall Plan for Ukraine.
“We are setting a quite ambitious goal – to raise GDP growth rates to at least 6% annually, increase labor productivity to 5%, and raise the share of investment in GDP to 30% each year. We also aim to create conditions for Ukrainians to return home, taking into account the needs of today’s labor market,” said Yuliia Svyrydenko.
First Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Energy Denys Shmyhal outlined the main directions of energy sector development. By the next winter period, Ukraine expects to have around 21 GW of available capacity, including imports. The updated Energy Strategy until 2050 will foresee a return to pre-war levels of over 54 GW of capacity.
The meeting also approved the establishment of a committee for the development of creative industries, covering culture, arts, design, the audiovisual sector, publishing, IT, the music industry, architecture, advertising, cultural heritage, and video game development.
Business representatives focused on issues related to tax inspections, countering illegal imports, access to credit and insurance for defense industry enterprises, business operations, and improved medicine delivery in frontline areas.
“All the issues raised have been recorded, and we will continue working on them. It was also encouraging to hear that we have already resolved some problems. Unfortunately, others are still pending, but they are in progress. Our meetings are delivering results. Let us continue working together. We are all one state. We call on everyone to stay united,” Kyrylo Budanov concluded.