Today, the Ukrainian economy has faced an unprecedented challenge in its history. A full-scale military invasion of the northern neighbors has dealt a powerful blow to all parts of the economic system of our state. It is no exaggeration to say that without an economic front we cannot win a war, so we need to think about the economic rear, recovery and development. On May 27, the round table “European Integration and War: Economic Dimension” hosted an expert discussion on ways to rebuild Ukraine, how to survive the economic downturn and how best to preserve its potential.
“Today, the economic front is becoming increasingly important for Ukraine. Without victory on it, all further military successes of our army will be complicated. The way to this victory lies through Ukraine’s transition to European principles of economic governance. That is why the rapprochement of the economic system of Ukraine and the EU is becoming an integral attribute of victory in the hybrid war with Russia “- said Doctor of Economics, expert of the Agency for Local Economic Development of Yavoriv district Viktor Borshchevskyi.
One of the important preconditions for the post-war reconstruction of the economy is the return of people who were forced to leave Ukraine.
“Economic development and reconstruction of Ukraine is impossible without people. 12 million Ukrainians were forced to leave their homes, 5-6 million were forced to move to other countries. It is important for us to think now about the policy of returning Ukrainians home. It is also an important priority for us to gain the status of a candidate for EU membership. This will open new opportunities for Ukraine in the form of access to relevant financial funds. But it is also important to remember that it is necessary to involve technologies, innovations, experience, etc. “- said the Deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Halyna Vasylchenko.
World history has many examples of post-war reconstruction. Since the end of World War II, there have been more than 30 major wars and more than 250 military conflicts in the world, involving at least 60 countries. At least three countries that had to recover from the war are now in the top 5 economies in the world. The period of their recovery is called the “economic miracle”, which indicates the new opportunities of the postwar period for the economies of the affected countries. [1] For each country, the way to restore it depends on geopolitical, economic, cultural, historical and value characteristics.
According to the Chairman of the Board of the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting, Professor Ihor Burakovskiy: “It is very important to show how we will use the funds provided by our partners for reconstruction. It is important to come up with innovative ideas, and together with our partners to raise the issue of Russia’s economic punishment for the crisis that it has created for everyone, including Poland, Hungary, Germany, Britain, Italy, etc. Such a collective demand for reparations can unite us more with our partners. But the focus of our recovery should not be money, but people, because recovery is done by people, restoration is done by people, restoration is done for people and future generations. We have to be quite critical of the experience of post-war reconstruction of other countries, because it took place in different social and historical conditions. If we take the example of Japan, it was actually the modernization of the Japanese economy and demonopolization. Post-war reconstruction of Ukraine should be considered as a major investment project. The priority here is to prioritize reforms and define clear criteria for joining the EU.”
Russia’s military action is an unjustified act of aggression against independent and sovereign Ukraine, as well as a violation of all current norms of international law on nature protection, sustainable development, humanitarian law, basic morals and principles of human coexistence.
“The experience of post-war recovery of the world’s advanced economies emphasizes the importance of taking into account the principles of sustainable development of Ukraine. In addition to ensuring security and creating conditions for the return of people to the country, we must first and foremost focus on preserving the components of the environment and developing a framework for their balanced use. At the same time, in order to avoid potential environmental crisis associated with rapid economic growth (deterioration of air quality, problem of waste management and reduction of green space), it is necessary to establish such rules of regulation that will take into account interests all stakeholders — the state, business and the public. The state apparatus needs to understand that it will no longer be possible to dictate business conditions – it will have to negotiate, find ways for consensus and continue liberalization and deregulation, as they do in all successful countries “- said Olha Boiko, coordinator of the Committee on Industrial Ecology and sustainable development of the European Business Association.
Information provided by Iryna Kuropas, coordinator of WG2 UNP
Євроінтеграція та війна: економічний вимір, Громадський простір, 30.05.2022
Євроінтеграція та повоєнне економічне відновлення: який шлях має обрати Україна
ANNOUNCEMENT: Round table “European integration and war: economic dimension”, 27.05.2022
The Ukrainian National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum (http://eap-csf.org.ua/) is a network of more than 140 non-governmental organizations in Ukraine that advocates Ukrainian interests within the framework of the Eastern Partnership. The platform is part of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum (EaP CSF).
The Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum (https://eap-csf.eu/) is unique multi-layered regional civil society platform aimed at promoting European integration, facilitating reforms and democratic transformations in the six Eastern Partnership countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. Serving as the civil society and people-to-people dimension of the Eastern Partnership, the EaP CSF strives to strengthen civil society in the region, boost pluralism in public discourse and policy making by promoting participatory democracy and fundamental freedoms. The EaP CSF is a non-partisan bona fide non-governmental organisation.
