Deputy Prime Minister for Innovation, Education, Science and Technology Development - Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov together with Andrea Rauber Saxer, Ambassador, head of the Swiss Federal Council for Bilateral Economic Relations at the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs of Switzerland, chaired the Fourteenth Meeting of the Ukrainian-Swiss Joint Economic Committee.

The Committee is one of the key platforms for cooperation between Ukraine and Switzerland. Its goal is to attract strategic investments, implement joint projects and strengthen economic cooperation.

“This is the first meeting of the committee during the full-scale invasion. It is an opportunity for us to seek the support of our partners and find new ways of cooperation. In particular, to implement projects to strengthen economic cooperation, develop innovations and joint initiatives to rebuild Ukraine. For us, this is a clear message that our partners are interested in continuing to work in Ukraine. Therefore, we must facilitate the activities of foreign companies to the maximum. I am grateful to the Government of Switzerland for supporting digital Ukraine, and to the private sector for engaging in a meaningful dialog,” said Mykhailo Fedorov.

The committee meeting became a platform for dialogue on the challenges faced by companies in Ukraine and how to overcome them together. The participants also discussed the following:

• current economic, trade and investment situation in Ukraine;
• the needs, coordination and progress of implementing international assistance;
• efforts of Switzerland to support the sustainability of the Ukrainian economy;
• involvement of the Swiss private sector in reconstruction efforts (by Switzerland);
• the process of negotiating the Free Trade Agreement (EFTA-UA).

In addition, the participants of the meeting heard reports from representatives of private Swiss companies, including Swissmem, SURA, Economiesuisse, ISwissrail, Scienceindustries and S-GE.

“Switzerland is a long-term partner of Ukraine. Since February 24, 2022, our assistance has expanded significantly, providing humanitarian and financial support and temporary protection to Ukrainians affected by russia's full-scale military aggression against Ukraine. Our actions demonstrate our commitment to supporting Ukraine both in Switzerland and internationally, focusing on our common goal of contributing to its reconstruction and sustainable development. In the future, we look forward to engaging the Swiss private sector in these efforts,” added Ambassador Andrea Rauber Saxer.

Multilateral collaboration was a separate topic at the meeting, when for the first time the cooperation between Ukraine and Switzerland in the field of technology and IT was brought up. The participants discussed in detail issues related to the development of the Global Innovation Vision of Ukraine - WINWIN. In particular, opportunities for cooperation in semiconductor engineering and manufacturing, prospects in the field of autonomous vehicles for the next 5 years, and opportunities in the IT industry for Ukraine and Switzerland.

The meeting was attended by the Swiss delegation, which arrived on a visit to Kyiv, as well as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein Iryna Venediktova, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Switzerland to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova Felix Baumann, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine for European Integration Valeria Ionan, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine, Trade Representative of Ukraine Taras Kachka and other representatives of the two countries.

As a reminder, in September 2024, the Ministry of Digital Transformation and the Government of Switzerland signed a memorandum for CHF 58.7 million. The funds will be used for the digital transformation of socially important areas of public policy and digital development of communities in 2024-2028.