Yuliia Svyrydenko, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine, met with Laurent Saint-Martin, French Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and French Nationals Abroad, to discuss the issues of deepening economic cooperation between the countries, attracting European investors to privatisation, and post-war recovery of Ukraine. The event was attended by representatives of the governments of Germany, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Estonia, Austria, Ireland, Slovakia, Hungary and Latvia.

Yuliia Svyrydenko stressed that cooperation with the EU remained a key vector of Ukraine’s economic development. Exports to the EU account for 59.5% of Ukraine’s total exports, which reached USD 24.7 billion last year. In January this year, exports of Ukrainian products to the EU increased by 5.5% to USD 1.8 billion compared to December 2024.

She called on European businesses to increase their investments in Ukraine now.

“The restoration of Ukraine will create additional opportunities for private business, as its role in the reconstruction will be extremely important. Even the war has not become an embargo on investment. Ukrainian entrepreneurs continue to invest in the economy, proving their faith in the country’s future. They are gradually being joined by foreign companies. Thanks to the support of investors, the resilience of Ukrainian businesses and the assistance of international partners, the economy is recovering: in 2023, growth was 5.3%, and in 2024, it was about 3.6%. Exports increased by 15% in monetary terms. Today we discussed how we can strengthen bilateral trade with our European partners,” said Yuliia Svyrydenko.

She also noted the importance of expanding investment cooperation and developing intergovernmental platforms (G2G agreements). Such a mechanism is already in place between Ukraine and France, which has attracted EUR 200 million in grant funding.

“These funds will support sectors such as healthcare, infrastructure, energy, agriculture, water and sanitation, waste management, demining, housing and digital technologies. Importantly, EUR 60 million will be used to support Ukraine’s energy sector, which is now a priority due to the systematic destruction of our energy infrastructure by russia. Together with our French partners, we have already selected the projects to be implemented with these funds and expect the funds to be disbursed soon,” Yuliia Svyrydenko continued.

Among the priorities of the Government, Yuliia Svyrydenko noted: creating attractive conditions for investors, expanding privatisation and launching public-private partnerships.

In particular, the Government is now offering various forms of support for investors:

• Tax and customs benefits for companies operating in industrial parks, as well as compensation for the costs of connecting them and developing infrastructure.
• A programme to support large investment projects, covering up to 30% of the costs for investments of EUR 12 million or more.
• A EUR 9.3 billion investment programme, which includes grants, guarantees from the European Commission and technical assistance.

A war risk insurance system has also been launched. It includes insurance for ships (Marsh McLennan), cargo and warehouses (EBRD), small and medium-sized businesses (DFC), and special programmes from MIGA. This list is constantly being supplemented with new investor protection instruments.

Yuliia Svyrydenko called on European partners to support Ukrainian businesses that already have ready-made investment projects in key sectors of the economy.