First and foremost are those sectors that are particularly important for the reconstruction of Ukraine. In addition to the construction and energy sectors, these are logistics and IT. In the future, the focus will also be on agriculture, which has particular potential to raise the quality and price of our food supply to a different level.

The priority is of course reconstruction. However, as an EU accession candidate, we see potential in Ukraine for investors from all sectors, from companies to financial investors. After all, every reconstruction project is already an investment opportunity, especially as Ukraine is building its infrastructure in a much more sustainable way. We are also looking specifically for innovations that are already being used in other countries and can accelerate reconstruction. We must bear in mind that reconstruction and modernisation will ultimately require investments of up to a trillion euros, and it is repeatedly emphasised that the private sector should, and probably must, contribute the lion's share. As an institute, we will therefore carefully assess which tools are particularly viable here.

There are a whole series of lighthouse projects, some of which come from Germany. However, these are actually less in the foreground. Our aim is to communicate the successful concept of these projects in an understandable way and, to a certain extent, to provide blueprints on which companies can build. This requires dialogues in small groups where confidential aspects can also be discussed. It is important to us that we can learn from successful projects, regardless of where the lighthouse project originated.

Yes, Ukraine is in an imposed war. However, we must bear in mind that the country is very large and therefore the security situation and risk landscape require a differentiated approach. It is much safer in the west than in the east. And despite the tragic incidents of recent weeks, Kyiv can be considered the best protected city in Ukraine in terms of air defence. It is not very helpful to work with generalised assessments and images of other times. In order to do justice to the special security situation, companies can already make use of real-time reporting tools. This applies in particular to the Duty of Care.

I always recommend that people make up their own minds, in other words to form their own judgement on the spot and thus evaluate ideas and options on a sound basis and develop them into a possible business case. In a second step, special features such as the federal investment guarantee and the funding landscape should be taken into account.

As in almost every other country, there is also a German Chamber of Commerce Abroad (AHK) in Ukraine, and from my own experience I would like to emphasise that the Managing Director of AHK Ukraine, Reiner Perau, has built up an agile, competent and outstandingly well-positioned institution in terms of cooperation. But there is also a whole range of Ukrainian organisations and networks that can provide valuable support, for example for large investment projects, Ukraine Invest. When it comes to orientation, the European Business Association and especially the AHK Ukraine are a good choice.

We have to realise that Ukraine has understood how important connectivity is and is working intensively in this area. You can hardly imagine how easy it has been to establish contacts in the country over the last two years. This will certainly become more difficult as more and more companies come to the country. Irrespective of this, our aim is also to provide companies with navigation through the diversity of this landscape and to utilise contacts that have already been established. We want to build bridges to Ukraine.

To put it bluntly, most companies have continued their production despite the war, and this naturally also applies to German companies. If they were not already based in the West, a number of companies have moved from the East of the country to the West.

Of course, logistics is a challenge and was particularly so in the autumn and winter of 2023, but we have to understand that Ukraine is a highly agile country. A number of new logistics routes, including border crossings, have been developed and more are being developed, which is also a good investment opportunity. And since this is an important point, we are delighted to have Philipp Sweens, Managing Director of HHLA's foreign companies, which also operates the largest container terminal in Odessa, as a proven expert on the Advisory Board.

Unfortunately, we have a special situation in Germany, because despite the federal government's investment guarantee, a very active Chamber of Commerce, a committed Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations and a few other things, involvement in Ukraine is often met with great reluctance. The reasons for this range from other priorities, a general or specific risk aversion, blocking internal measures in the compliance area, supposed insurance-related reasons, reluctant banks up to negative previous experiences from pre-war times. This is precisely where we, the initiators of the German-Ukrainian Business Institute, want to start.

The availability of people is a relevant aspect, but that is precisely why it is important to develop the business case and take a very close look at this issue. At the same time, we need to move away from thinking of Ukraine solely as a location for industrial production at lower labour costs. Ukraine has a remarkable technological landscape, an application-friendly culture of innovation and offers the opportunity to rethink and try out many new things. The use of new technologies is particularly encouraged by the state. And with regard to the labour force, it is important to note that, in addition to the potential of returnees, intensive recruitment from other countries is taking place.

There are a number of funding programmes that primarily consist of loans. However, this presupposes that the corresponding projects are „bankable“, and this is often a problem, not least because some of the requirements are only partially tailored to the specific characteristics of the country. The banks certainly need to rethink their requirements here. It is therefore important to initiate dialogue in individual cases and to find those who are flexible. This is also where we come in as an institution to show companies the right ways to utilise the subsidies effectively.