Germany has always
been and remains one of
the principal partners of Ukraine,
and our country
was and will
be a reliable partner of Germany
in the South-Eastern Europe and in
the post-Soviet space. Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr
Groysman made this statement during a meeting with representatives of leading German
companies operating in Ukraine. The
meeting took place on the
eve of the
working visit of the Head
of Ukrainian Government to the
Federal Republic of Germany.
"We praise
the contribution of German business
to the development
of the national
economy, we appreciate Germany's leadership in our
internal reforms as well as
in issues pertaining to our
territorial integrity. We commend that
Germany is a reliable partner of Ukraine, and
we are keen
on developing bilateral relations", stressed the Prime
Minister.
In turn, representatives
of German business circles noted that the
Government of Ukraine has managed
to overcome the economic crisis,
and this increases the optimism
of business. Thus, last year
the volume of mutual trade
increased by 21.5%, and the trade
accents have changed towards consumer goods and food industries.
No less interesting
for investors is the construction
industry.
According to Ernst
Reichel, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Germany to Ukraine,
the reputation of Ukraine as
an investment platform is of
paramount importance.
"To this end, we also
pay considerable attention to Ukraine's
achievements in combating corruption, judicial reform and cooperation with international financial institutions, and etc. But
I want to assure: The German
government will support Ukraine", the diplomatic official emphasized
The Prime Minister
thanked for the words of
support and placed an
emphasis on to the fact
that issues of economic development
and creation of a favorable business environment are top priorities
for the Cabinet
of Ministers. The steps taken
in 2017 had proved it. In
this context Volodymyr Groysman underlined the Government of Ukraine
is an assistant
and leader of groundbreaking ideas and actions
of the modern
world business.
" I want to
recall that we have launched
a system of electronic VAT refund. The said step
enabled us to remove
from the agenda the issue
of abusive practice in this
sector. We paid off tax
debts accumulated over the past
few years and did not
accept a practice of paying in
anticipation. We are moving on
the issue of customs reform.
We have taken
a course towards a large-scale deregulation, and here we
are striving to enter the
TOP-40 in Doing Business rating. This year we
will retrofit the system of
state supervision and control, so
that no official
could have an impact on
business", the Head of Ukrainian
Government claimed.
In the course
of the meeting,
the attendees tackled a number of issues and
problems experienced by German business
persons in Ukraine, as well
as determined promising areas for further cooperation.
Thus, on the proposal of
the German side, questions related to the
preparation of personnel in Ukraine
in the most
demanded professions according to German
standards were included into the
agenda of the bilateral relations.
In this context,
Volodymyr Groysman aired an proposal
to single out the most
burning priorities of the joint
work and to further cooperate
on specific directions and projects. The Prime
Minister is assured that such
an approach will strengthen the cooperation between Kyiv and
Berlin both at the official
level and at the level
of business circles.
Background
Germany is among
the five major investors in Ukraine,
two thirds of investment flows
from German companies are invested
in industrial projects. According to the data
released by the German-Ukrainian Chamber of Industry and
Commerce, German investors are interested
in developing cooperation in the light and
food industries as well as
in agriculture sector.