Recently, the Ukraine Ukraine Facility Platform (UAFP), an international platform for business and civil society, was officially launched in Brussels. It was created by two non-governmental organizations: Human Capital Center in Ukraine (Kyiv) and Institute for Global Transformation (Brussels). The purpose of the platform is to develop mechanisms for mutually beneficial cooperation between the EU and Ukraine that would contribute to joint economic growth.

The event was supported by the Mission of Ukraine to the European Union. More than 50 guests joined the event. The event was opened by Ambassador Vsevolod Chentsov, Head of the Mission of Ukraine to the EU.

Among the guests were representatives of 18 countries, including members of the diplomatic missions of Austria, Ireland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Moldova, Georgia, Japan, Turkey, Canada, Romania and Croatia. The event was also attended by representatives of international financial institutions such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Investment Bank (EIB), the European Business Association, the Brussels Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BECI).

During UAFP's presentation in Brussels, potential cooperation between Ukraine and the EU at the diplomatic level, in the business sphere, and in the field of investment was discussed.

Lana Zerkal, a representative of the UAFP Steering Committee and a well-known diplomat, emphasized that the platform aims to facilitate a dialogue between Ukrainian businesses, Ukrainian local authorities, and European businesses. It is high-quality communication that will allow each of the parties to maximize the benefits of Ukraine's European integration.

"We understand that it is very important for regional authorities and regional elites to build relationships and be heard not only at the level of the Ukrainian government, but also to consider development strategies, to understand where they will be in 5-10 years, how European integration will change their lives and what opportunities they can take advantage of now. That is why we are joining our efforts and hope that together with others we will be able to empower and increase the ability of our economic agents to communicate, because indeed, communication is one of the key goals of this platform," Zerkal said.

Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, Chairman of the Board of the National Energy Company Ukrenergo, explained how Ukraine can help Europe with an additional source of energy as the demand for electricity in Europe grows. Despite Russia's destruction of its energy infrastructure, Ukraine still has the opportunity to increase electricity exports to the EU.

 "We are not an energy system that just needs help. We are an energy system that can help Europe, and we can fit very well into the European strategy of energy autonomy in the future. But for that, we need to make sure that the transformation of the energy sector is happening inside Ukraine. And when we talk about the energy transformation of Ukraine, we are talking about making Ukraine the first large climate-neutral system on the continent, and maybe even in the world," Kudrytsky said.

In March and April, UAFP will focus on organizing coordination meetings with representatives of Ukrainian business associations and industry. The next stage is to conduct in-depth research to explore opportunities for real sector projects in the regions.