EBA meets with Volodymyr Zelensky

The European Business Association, the most powerful association of businesses in Ukraine, met with president Volodymyr Zelensky on 13.02.2020. The agenda of issues included talks about the most important directions for business right now, which include:

• providing the macroeconomic stability, maintaining the independence of the National Bank of Ukraine and launching available credit program for the micro business;
• launching a new customs office and implementing initiatives for the more effective work (a law on the authorized economic operator and NCT);
• initiating unpopular decisions, such as fiscalisation, de-monopolisation of Ukrspyrt, starting the work on the land market;
• starting the digitalization; 
• conducting dialogue with the business including the discussions on industrial issues, for example, the tobacco industry.

Additionally, issues such as countering the shadow economy and rationalizing the tax burden were discussed. Businesses are hoping the government can reform the judicial and law enforcement systems in the country to provide a level playing field, and simplify the tax administration structure and VAT compensation mechanism. Moving the legislative environment toward EU principles is also important according to business. This means among other things the homogenization of medicine and other product safety standards, and adopting modern labor regulation.

For more information about the discussions, see the news piece on the EBA site