President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a meeting with Vice President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Alain Pilloux. The interlocutors discussed further cooperation.

The Head of State emphasized that this meeting is important for the economy and investment climate in Ukraine. He noted that our country appreciated cooperation with international partners such as the IMF, the EBRD and the World Bank. He also assured of willingness to develop such cooperation.

During the meeting, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the Ukrainian authorities not only were ready to carry out market reforms and fight corruption, but also took concrete steps in that direction.

The President noted that the Verkhovna Rada was already considering a package of reform bills. In particular, the EBRD-sponsored concession bill, a draft law to abolish the list of entities not subject to privatization and a package of deregulation laws that would allow Ukraine to improve its position in the Doing Business ranking. In addition, a split law was adopted that implements international regulatory and supervisory standards in the non-banking financial sector.

The Ukrainian government is also working on a land reform model. Volodymyr Zelenskyy is hopeful it will be adopted by the end of the year.

The President stressed that those initiatives would accelerate economic growth, liberalize the economy, create opportunities for systemic investment. And Ukraine is counting on the EBRD's support in attracting strategic foreign investors.

The Head of State expects that in the next 2-3 years, the EBRD will increase its investments up to more than 1 billion euros a year and make them more competitive for the private sector in Ukraine, especially in the issue of capital cost.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy assured that foreign investors and partners could always count on an open and honest dialogue in the framework of the National Investment Council, the work of which is planned to be continued.

“Thank you once again for investing in Ukraine. We really appreciate this,” the Head of State said.

The parties also discussed further cooperation. Particularly in banking sphere and infrastructure development.

The President of Ukraine invited EBRD representatives to participate in an investment forum that will be held in Mariupol in late October.