- What specific legal or commercial situations related to Ukraine have you encountered in your practice in Belgium, and what key takeaways have you drawn from this experience? In Ukraine I worked in numerous fields and assisted Belgian companies and investors with their projects. Among the sectors of activity of Belgian investors and companies I would mention agriculture, brewery and beer production, mechanical engineering and new technologies. I also had a project to create a Belgian Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce but the war launched by Russia halted this project. My experience with Ukrainian partners was excellent and if peace returns, I hope to develop a new project.
- Looking at business activity in Ukraine prior to the full-scale war, which sectors or models of cooperation with foreign partners did you consider the most legally mature? The war situation inevitably reduces the areas of economic cooperation with Ukraine. Of course, we all hope for an
end of the war so that our companies could contribute to the reconstruction of this amazing country. In the current context, one area must certainly be prioritized : new technologies. In Ukraine, I was impressed by the quality of the engineers and the level of technology. The Ukrainians are currently
demonstrating this in the military field, particularly in the manufacture of drones. - Which systemic features of Ukrainian business — positive or challenging — become particularly evident in cross-border projects involving European companies? Belgium is not a neighbor of Ukraine but it has other experiences of cross-border cooperation. This can serve an example of such
cooperation for Ukraine. For instance, we have developed numerous university projects with our neighbors in the field of scientific research. Cooperation between Ukrainian universities and those in neighboring or nearby countries therefore seems to be a real opportunity. The health sector
is also an excellent area for cross-border projects. - How has your experience working with Ukrainian companies shaped your approach to managing legal risks in transition economies? Working with an economy in transition, as in Ukraine, certainly involves risks but also real potential. In Ukraine, the risks are offset by the level of education of the workforce. I specifically mentioned the quality of engineers but this high level of education
is found in many professions in Ukraine. Another advantage of Ukraine is that it remained an industrial country. In many Western European countries we have lost this industrial capacity and turned, maybe too much, to the service sector. - Based on your practice, which legal or institutional changes in Ukraine could significantly strengthen the confidence of European businesses and investors? As soon as peace returns, foreign companies will come back to Ukraine because the economic opportunities will be plentiful. The most important will be to guarantee legal security. That will be crucial for both Ukrainian people and foreign investors.After such a painful war, Ukrainians cannot be deprived of their country’s wealth. Therefore all economic cooperation must be established on a sound legal basis. The framework, the blueprint already exists : Ukraine can largely draw inspiration from European commercial law.
