Ukraine and Austria resumed the work of the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Relations and held business forum

On March 5, 2026, an Austrian government and business delegation arrived in Kyiv. The visit involved the 16th meeting of the Ukrainian-Austrian Joint Commission on Trade and Economic Relations, bilateral talks between the ministers of economy of the two countries, the signing of joint documents, and a Ukrainian-Austrian business forum with the participation of companies from the two countries.

The events were attended by representatives of the Ukrainian side: Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine Oleksii Sobolev, Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine Vitalii Kindrativ, Ambassador of Ukraine to the Republic of Austria Vasyl Khymynets, Executive Director of UkraineInvest Maryna Khlystun, President of the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Gennadiy Chyzhykov.

The Austrian side was represented by Federal Minister of Economy, Energy and Tourism Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer, Government Coordinator for Ukraine Reconstruction Wolfgang Anzengruber, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Austria Robert Müller, as well as representatives of Austrian business and industrial associations.

"Austria is one of Ukraine's key economic partners and is among the eight major investors. In the first nine months of last year, bilateral trade exceeded USD 1 billion. Austrian companies are operating in Ukraine even during the war and willing to invest in the restoration of energy, infrastructure, and industry. We are currently strengthening partnerships with banks, export credit agencies, and financial institutions, allowing us to accelerate the attraction of private investment and the country's recovery," said Oleksii Sobolev, Minister of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture of Ukraine.

Following the meeting, the parties signed two key documents:

1. The minutes of the JIC meeting, which set out intentions for further economic cooperation, in particular the involvement of Austrian financial institutions and export credit instruments for joint recovery projects.

Three key areas of cooperation were identified separately: infrastructure and transport (repair and maintenance of roads, modernization of railways), energy (reconstruction of hydroelectric power plants, renewable energy), and security (humanitarian demining).

2. A political declaration of intent to implement the 2022 Framework Agreement between Ukraine and Austria, which provides for the acceleration of medical projects. This includes, in particular, the reconstruction and equipping of the Okhmatdyt clinic in Kyiv, the construction of a modern university clinic in Kyiv or Lviv, and the creation of a National Rehabilitation Center in Lviv.

The declaration also opens up the possibility of extending the Framework Agreement to all sectors of the economy and provides for the creation of a Joint Working Group to coordinate, select, and support new priority projects.

During bilateral talks, the parties discussed Austria's accession to the Industrial Ramstein initiative, cooperation with Raiffeisen Bank on energy loans for communities, preparations for the Energy Sustainability Conference in Vienna in 2026, and the creation of Unity Hub in Austria to support Ukrainians abroad.

Kyiv also hosted the Ukrainian-Austrian Business Forum, which brought together dozens of companies from both countries for B2B meetings, investment negotiations, and the launch of joint projects.