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Economic Conference: The state and business community of North Rhine-Westphalia are creating opportunities for rebuilding Ukraine

Elena Matekina, General Manager CEE, MENA NRW.Global Business GmbH; Felix Neugart, CEO NRW.Global Business GmbH; Jutta Kruft-Lohrengel, Vice President of IHK NRW; Oleksandr Rodnyansky, Economic Adviser to the President of Ukraine; Mona Neubaur, Minister for Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia; H.E. Oleksii Makeiev, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Federal Republic of Germany; André Kuper, President of the State Parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia; Iryna Shum, Consul General of Ukraine in Düsseldorf; Stefan Kägebein, Regional Director Eastern Europe, Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations; Wulf-Christian Ehrich, Deputy General Manager IHK Dortmund at the NRW economic conference "Reconstruction of Ukraine" on March 23, 2023 in the Düsseldorf state parliament. © NRW.Global Business/Ralph Sondermann

© NRW.Global Business/Ralph Sondermann

The state of North Rhine-Westphalia is already focusing on the rebuilding of Ukraine. On March 23, 2023, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, the Consulate General of Ukraine in Düsseldorf and the foreign trade promotion agency NRW.Global Business in partnership with IHK (Chamber of Industry and Commerce) NRW are hosting the NRW Economic Conference "Rebuilding Ukraine" in the Düsseldorf State Parliament. Others partners are the Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations and the German-Ukrainian Chamber of Industry and Commerce.

The conference shows possibilities for cooperation from current aid measures to rebuilding based on partnership. The focus is on economic policy aspects, practical examples and projects at the municipal and regional level.

The conference will be opened by State Parliament President André Kuper, Minister Neubaur, the Ukrainian Ambassador Oleksii Makeiev, and the Vice President of the NRW Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Jutta Kruft-Lohrengel. Europe Minister Nathanael Liminski will address the conference participants in a video message. A keynote speech on the rebuilding of his country will be given by Oleksandr Rodnyansky, economic advisor to the Ukrainian President. Among the approximately 300 guests are Ukrainian companies as well as large and medium-sized companies from North Rhine-Westphalia that are already involved in Ukraine or would like to contribute to the rebuilding of Ukraine, as well as representatives from federal and state politics and the partner cities.

Mona Neubaur, NRW Minister of Economy, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy: "In Ukraine, people are suffering and dying every day. Even after more than a year of Russia's war of aggression on Ukraine, we must remain attentive to the country's plight. But with all the terrible news reaching us daily from the war zone, we must not lose sight of Ukraine's future. Rebuilding begins now – it is essential to prepare the country's urgently needed infrastructure and economic framework for a post-war era. North Rhine-Westphalia stands in solidarity with Ukraine. As part of the rebuilding conference, we would like to give representatives from Ukraine the opportunity to come into contact with companies from North Rhine-Westphalia in order to establish effective economic and logistical cooperation."

Nathanael Liminski, Minister for Federal and European Affairs, International Affairs and Media, and Head of the State Chancellery: "Via the partnership between North Rhine-Westphalia and Dnipropetrovsk, we will exchange knowledge and experience, open up economic potential and connect people from the two regions. The determination of the Ukrainians and the unity of the West are very considerable. I am firmly convinced that it is not only politically right, but also economically wise to back Ukraine as a strong, free and economically prosperous partner in the European Union. We in North Rhine-Westphalia stand by Ukraine's side – yesterday, today and tomorrow."

Since the start of the war, the state and the business community of North Rhine-Westphalia have been organizing a large number of aid deliveries for Ukraine to keep the healthcare system and the energy supply running – including campaigns in all 16 districts of the state's chambers of industry and commerce. For example, the NRW Ministry of Economics and NRW.Global Business support the Water4Ukraine project, which regularly supplies technical material to Ukraine in order to restore the water supply in the worst-hit regions of the country. In addition, a new regional partnership of North Rhine-Westphalia with the Ukrainian oblast of Dnipropetrovsk, one of the most important industrial and scientific locations in Ukraine, was established at the end of February in order to provide concrete reconstruction aid and open up economic prospects for the future.

Felix Neugart, CEO of NRW.Global Business: "Ukraine is and remains an important economic partner for us. Before the Russian attack, NRW.Global Business was working closely with Ukrainian partners in the fields of IT, aerospace and renewable energies to get projects off the ground. We would like to pick up where we left off. In these difficult times, we stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine and are optimistic that the NRW economy can contribute significantly to the rebuilding of Ukraine in the future."

Photo: 
from letft: Elena Matekina, General Manager CEE, MENA NRW.Global Business GmbH; Felix Neugart, CEO NRW.Global Business GmbH; Jutta Kruft-Lohrengel, Vice President of IHK NRW; Oleksandr Rodnyansky, Economic Adviser to the President of Ukraine; Mona Neubaur, Minister for Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia; H.E. Oleksii Makeiev, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Federal Republic of Germany; André Kuper, President of the State Parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia; Iryna Shum, Consul General of Ukraine in Düsseldorf; Stefan Kägebein, Regional Director Eastern Europe, Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations; Wulf-Christian Ehrich, Deputy General Manager IHK Dortmund at the NRW economic conference "Reconstruction of Ukraine" on March 23, 2023 in the Düsseldorf state parliament. © NRW.Global Business/Ralph Sondermann