Defense agencies of Ukraine, Poland begin to actively cooperate with businesses – expert

The defense ministries of Ukraine and Poland, as well as other government agencies related to the security and defense sector, are starting to actively cooperate with businesses.

The relevant statement was made by Yaroslav Romanchuk, the Chairman of the Board at the Association of Ukrainian Business in Poland and the co-organizer of the XIX International Forum ‘Polish-Ukrainian Business Days’, which had recently been held in Warsaw.

Traditionally, the XIX International Forum ‘Polish-Ukrainian Business Days’ was dedicated to trade and economic cooperation between Ukraine and Poland, but the accents had somewhat shifted, according to the expert.

In particular, the forum participants looked at the economic cooperation between Kyiv and Warsaw through the prism of geopolitical challenges that are currently in the world, as well as through the problematic situation on the common border, where Polish carriers and farmers had been holding protests for several months.

Nevertheless, the April forum in Warsaw mainly focused on the possibility of bilateral cooperation in the context of increasing defense and security expenditures, and how this would affect future cooperation between Ukraine and Poland.

According to Romanchuk, this topic, in fact, had been discussed publicly for the first time. Prior to that, cooperation between defense industry enterprises was always discussed behind closed doors. This time, the forum organizers were supported by the defense ministries of Ukraine and Poland, and the event in Warsaw was aimed at such cooperation.

“First and foremost, the defense agencies of the two countries have agreed and are starting to cooperate with businesses. All forum participants spoke of the importance of cooperation with businesses, which had been the keynote of this event,” Romanchuk stressed.

In his words, defense and security are not about weapons only, and it is not “a closed club but a much broader context”, as the market offers many interesting goods and services, which are available through public auctions and where business involvement is needed.

“Despite rather tense relations between Ukraine and Poland in the past six months, there is an understanding in the defense industry of the need to develop joint ventures both on the territory of Ukraine and on the territory of Poland, and there is an extremely high potential in this regard,” Romanchuk noted.

During the XIX International Forum ‘Polish-Ukrainian Business Days’ in Warsaw, the participants spoke of the joint production of dual-use goods.

“This is something that was little used in the defense industry, but now it is reaching a very powerful level, and here precisely businesses initiated cooperation,” Romanchuk explained.

The expert mentioned that earlier defense agencies did not show much interest in cooperation with businesses, but now “it is an open cooperation, and there are open offers for cooperation”.

Today, defense and security expenditures are growing significantly, Romanchuk noted. Thus, defense ministries have to involve businesses in such processes.

Speaking of the blockade of the Ukrainian-Polish border, which had recently been lifted, the expert emphasized that it was “a positive and correct signal”.

“This should significantly affect our trade and economic relations. Stability is important, so that Ukrainian and Polish businesses are no longer held hostage by this situation at the border,” Romanchuk concluded.

The expert mentioned that the XX International Forum ‘Polish-Ukrainian Business Days’ had been scheduled for late October 2024. The event will take place in Kyiv and will again focus on bilateral cooperation in the defense industry.

A reminder that the XIX International Forum ‘Polish-Ukrainian Business Days’ was held in Warsaw on April 25, 2024. During the event, Polish and Ukrainian business representatives discussed opportunities and ways to strengthen sustainable partnership relations aimed at the economic development of the two countries. The forum was attended by the representatives of the defense ministries of Ukraine and Poland, and other industry-related government agencies, as well as Ukrainian and Polish entrepreneurs.

Photo: euconlaw.com