EBA Deputy Director spoke at the URC 2025 side event

Svitlana Mykhailovska, Deputy Director of the European Business Association, spoke at the sidelines of the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2025 about the strength of Ukrainian business, investment despite the war, and the message this sends to the world.

During URC 2025 in Rome, the event “Untapped Opportunities for the Private Sector” brought together international experts, diplomats, investors, and business leaders. As part of the first panel discussion, “Leveraging the Current Economic, Political and Financial Outlook” Svitlana Mykhailovska represented the voice of businesses operating in Ukraine.

In her remarks, Svitlana emphasized the following:

• Despite the full-scale war, 75% of EBA member companies are operating at full capacity, while another 24% continue with certain restrictions. 77% of companies plan to keep working in Ukraine regardless of whether hostilities end this year – a testament to the unique resilience of the private sector.

• Foreign investors are not staying away: 8 out of 10 are interested in participating in Ukraine’s recovery, and 17% of new investors are ready to invest even before the war ends.

• The examples of Kyivstar, Nestlé, Dragon Capital, Bayer, BASF, Global Clearance Solutions, and others prove that businesses are not just surviving in Ukraine – they are investing, growing, and launching new projects despite the war.

• A critical signal to investors was Ukraine’s acquisition of EU candidate status, which defines the long-term trajectory of transformation.

• The business community represented by the EBA is clear: Ukrainian business is not waiting for peace – it is already rebuilding the country and is open to partnerships.

Other panelists – Kurt Volker, Kuninori Matsuda, Pavlo Kukhta, and Dario Quintavalle – also underlined:

• The importance of transparent reforms and institutional capacity;

• Ukraine’s moral high ground and the strength of its civil society;

• The entrepreneurial spirit of Ukrainians as a unique foundation for post-war growth.

The event confirmed that the window of opportunity for the private sector is open now. Ukraine needs investment, and businesses operating in Ukraine are ready for partners. The European Business Association and GB4U, as the largest business community in the country, are ready to act as a bridge between domestic potential and international opportunities.