Swiss Companies Are Coming to Warsaw. They Are Looking for Ukrainian Partners.

Law News Digest: Reconstruction & Investment · Practical guide

On 12–13 November 2026, Warsaw will host ReBuild Ukraine — the largest international exhibition and conference on Ukraine’s reconstruction. For the fourth time, Switzerland is bringing its own national pavilion, organised by Switzerland Global Enterprise and the Swiss Business Hub Central Europe with support from SECO. The timing is not accidental. Since 9 October, the new Swiss–Ukrainian reconstruction agreement allows any Swiss company to supply goods and services for Ukraine’s recovery — including firms that have never worked in Ukraine and have no team on the ground.

How to register

Visitor tickets: tickets for the exhibition and conferences are available on the official ReBuild Ukraine website: rebuildukraine.in.ua/en#pricing. Free tickets are available for certain visitor categories and for official delegations, ministries and public authorities. Check the categories on the same page.
Visitor information: rebuildukraine.in.ua/en/visitors
B2B meetings (free): register on the official matchmaking platform and book 15-minute meetings with exhibitors, including Swiss companies: b2match.com/e/rebuild-ukraine-matchmaking-platform. On-site meetings take place on 12–13 November and require a fair ticket. Online meetings run until 22 November.
Swiss Pavilion contacts: Xavier Cornut, Switzerland Global Enterprise (xcornut@s-ge.com), and Piotr Lesiak, Swiss Business Hub Central Europe (piotr.lesiak@eda.admin.ch).

For Ukrainian contractors, manufacturers, service providers and local communities (hromadas), this creates a rare opportunity: Swiss decision-makers who need local partners will be in one place, a direct train ride from Ukraine. This guide explains what is happening in Warsaw, who the Swiss side is looking for, and how to prepare so that a 15-minute meeting turns into a partnership.

Key takeaways

12–13 November, EXPO XXI Warsaw. The 6th ReBuild Ukraine exhibition and conference, focused on construction, energy, infrastructure, industry and housing.
A Swiss Pavilion for the fourth time. Up to 14 Swiss companies with booths plus poster exhibitors, focused on infrastructure, engineering and energy.
Swiss demand for Ukrainian partners is rising. The new Swiss–Ukrainian agreement opens Swiss-funded procurement to all Swiss companies, many of whom lack local capacity.
Meetings are free to book. The official B2B matchmaking platform is free; on-site meetings need a fair ticket, video calls continue until 22 November.
Preparation decides the outcome. Swiss partners select on reliability, compliance and documentation — not on price alone.

The event at a glance

What	Details
Event	ReBuild Ukraine: Construction & Energy, 6th edition
Dates	12–13 November 2026 (networking side events on 11 November)
Venue	EXPO XXI, ul. Prądzyńskiego 12/14, Warsaw, Poland
Organiser	Premier Expo, in partnership with the European Commission and under the patronage of Ukraine’s government
Focus	Infrastructure, energy, industry, housing, water
2025 edition	762 companies from 33 countries, 6,000+ participants, 23 national pavilions, 160 Ukrainian communities with projects
Swiss Pavilion	4th edition, up to 14 Swiss company booths + 4 poster exhibitors
B2B matchmaking	Free on b2match; on-site meetings 12–13 Nov, video calls 14–22 Nov

Last year’s edition brought together 762 companies from 33 countries and more than 6,000 participants, with 23 national pavilions. 160 Ukrainian communities presented investment and reconstruction projects. This year, the national pavilion “Ukraine and Its Communities” includes cities and agglomerations such as Kharkiv, Odesa, Dnipro, Mykolaiv, Vinnytsia, Lviv, Chernihiv and Ternopil, with representatives of more than 100 additional communities attending.

The programme combines the exhibition with an EU–Ukraine Investment Conference, an Energy Conference, the Recovery Construction Forum, a Water Recovery Forum, a Solar, BESS and Grid Forum, a Communities Marathon and an Aid & Development MeetUp. Ukraine’s largest energy companies — including Ukrenergo, Naftogaz and Ukrhydroenergo — took part in the national energy exposition last year.

Why the Swiss Pavilion matters this year

Switzerland has committed CHF 5 billion to Ukraine’s recovery until 2036, with CHF 500 million in the current phase reserved for Swiss private-sector participation. Until recently, almost all of that private-sector money went to a small group of around 60 Swiss companies already established in Ukraine. On 2 October 2026, the Federal Council approved eight more projects worth CHF 135 million — again for Swiss firms with Ukrainian entities.

The agreement that entered into force on 9 October changes the picture. Ukraine now defines the goods and services it needs, and Switzerland procures them from Swiss companies through Swiss tenders — and any Swiss company can bid, with or without a Ukrainian branch. That brings a new wave of Swiss suppliers to the Ukrainian market. Many of them will need what they do not have: installers, engineers, logistics, local manufacturing, permits and people who know how things work on the ground.

Switzerland brings the technology and the financing. Ukrainian companies bring the ability to deliver it.

The Swiss Pavilion in Warsaw is designed exactly for this match. Its stated goal is to showcase Swiss expertise for reconstruction and to connect Swiss decision-makers with Ukrainian counterparts. Exhibitors are Swiss companies already active in Ukraine or working in infrastructure, engineering and energy, alongside industry associations and NGOs. The Swiss Ambassador in Poland hosts a dinner for exhibitors and high-level Ukrainian guests on 12 November.

Who the Swiss side is looking for

Based on the Swiss Pavilion’s focus and the sectors named in the Swiss–Ukrainian agreement, the strongest demand for Ukrainian partners is likely in:

Energy: grid connection, substations, distributed generation, solar and battery storage, repair and maintenance of equipment.
Transport and mobility: rail infrastructure, rolling stock maintenance, urban transport — Swiss cities have already transferred trams to Lviv.
Water and wastewater: pumping stations, treatment plants, network rehabilitation.
Construction: modular and prefabricated housing, building envelopes, schools and public buildings — earlier Swiss projects sourced up to 95% of components locally.
Services around the hardware: logistics and customs, installation and commissioning, training, legal and compliance support.

How to use ReBuild Ukraine — a practical plan

Before Warsaw

Register on the matchmaking platform. The official ReBuild Ukraine B2B platform on b2match is free. Create a profile in English, list concrete offers and requests, and book meetings with Swiss exhibitors in advance. Registration stays open until 22 November.
Get the right ticket. On-site meetings at EXPO XXI require a valid fair ticket. Free tickets exist for certain visitor categories and official delegations; communities should check eligibility with the organiser early.
Prepare a one-page partner profile. Who you are, what you deliver, where you operate, key references, certifications and team size — readable in two minutes.
Do your compliance homework. Swiss companies carry the compliance risk for their supply chain. Transparent ownership, clean contracts, proper accounting and sanctions screening are often more decisive than price.
Research your targets. Look at which Swiss companies already work in Ukraine and in your sector, and what they have delivered — SECO’s published project lists are a good starting point.

In Warsaw

Lead with capacity, not with a sales pitch. Explain what you can deliver, how fast and where — Swiss partners look for reliability.
Bring evidence. Photos of completed projects, references, standards you work to.
Ask about procurement timing. Many Swiss suppliers will only know their Ukrainian projects once tenders are awarded; agree how you will stay in touch.

After Warsaw

Follow up within a week with a short summary and a concrete next step.
Use the video-call window. The matchmaking platform runs online meetings until 22 November — useful for contacts you missed on site.
Formalise early. Letters of intent, NDAs and framework agreements help a Swiss partner include you in a tender offer.

For municipalities and communities: bring projects, not just needs

Under the new Swiss mechanism, projects start with Ukrainian requests. Communities that come to Warsaw with documented, investment-ready projects — technical scope, land and permit status, budget estimate, operating model — are far more likely to attract Swiss interest than those presenting general needs. Swiss cities are already active partners: at a forum in Basel in September 2026, Vinnytsia, Odesa, Sumy and Kharkiv expressed interest in partnerships with Swiss municipalities, with priorities in energy, water, local governance and public services.

The bottom line

Swiss money for Ukraine increasingly flows through Swiss companies. That is a fact of the new agreement. The question for Ukrainian business is not whether to like the model, but how to become indispensable within it. ReBuild Ukraine in Warsaw is the most concentrated opportunity this year to meet the Swiss side in person — and the companies that prepare now will be the ones Swiss suppliers call when the tenders are won.

Lighthouse: your Swiss desk

Lighthouse helps Ukrainian companies and communities understand how Swiss partners select suppliers, prepare partner profiles and compliance documentation, and structure cooperation agreements with Swiss companies. Planning to meet Swiss partners in Warsaw?

Contact us before the event: info@lighthouse-legal.eu

Integrity. Guidance. Action.