Establishing International Relations: Serhii Morhunov Met with Potential European Partners in Brussels

During a working visit to Belgium, a delegation from Vinnytsia worked in Brussels. It was there, in the European Committee of the Regions, that Vinnytsia's representative office was opened at the end of last year. Vinnytsia Mayor Serhii Morhunov held a series of meetings to discuss issues related to promoting Vinnytsia at the level of European organizations, attracting expert advice and investment support in the context of community recovery, and expanding opportunities for Vinnytsia's export-oriented businesses.

This should be facilitated, in particular, by Vinnytsia's representation in the EU capital, where the main diplomatic structures of the Union are based: The European Commission, the Council of Ministers, and the European Parliament. The meeting also discussed the implementation of Vinnytsia's priorities for 2024, including in-depth study of the experience of European countries and the attraction of new partnerships.

Vinnytsia Mayor Serhii Morhunov noted that during all the meetings and discussions, the leading issue on the part of Europeans was to help Ukraine and its communities.

International experts spoke positively about the results of the decentralization reform, which has become a catalyst for positive changes in our country and creates more opportunities for horizontal cooperation.

In particular, a working meeting of Vinnytsia delegates was held at the Economic and Commercial Representation of Flanders, which was attended by John Verzeele, Director of the SCEE Regional Department, Kris Put, Flemish Economic Representative for Ukraine for Recovery, and Kris Beckers, Honorary Consul of Belgium in Ukraine. They discussed the promotion of the Ukrainian economy.

"We were very pleased to meet the delegation from Vinnytsia, because cooperation is primarily about information exchange. We received comprehensive information about your community and its potential, and we also told you how we can be useful in this cooperation. It is worth noting that at the beginning of the war, interest was lower, but now it is growing due to the positive results of business insurance in Ukraine in case of emergencies. The fact that Ukraine is now a potential member before joining the EU has also strengthened the interest," said Kris Put, the Flemish Economic Representative in Ukraine for Recovery.

The delegates from Vinnytsia also met with representatives of the EU Business Hub, which specializes in finding effective ways for Ukrainian companies seeking to enter EU markets. They also act as a bridge between Ukrainians and various European organizations.

They were presented with investment-attractive projects of the city, including the active development of industrial parks and the Vinnytsia Industrial Valley. Vinnytsia representatives also spoke about the opportunities and potential of local businesses ready to develop exports.

"We have had several meetings with various associations that are interested in cooperation. This particular business hub is focused on consulting and helping entrepreneurs achieve a specific result. In fact, during the meeting, we discussed possible areas of cooperation between our associations. This is necessary so that our entrepreneurs understand how to properly make a request to European business - we are talking not only about Belgium, but also about all other EU countries. However, this should be a two-way street: Ukrainian business in Europe and European business in Ukraine. We have a high potential in terms of developing industrial parks and brownfields, public investment in critical infrastructure. Therefore, this is a painstaking work that needs to be done on an ongoing basis to achieve economic sustainability," said Serhii Morhunov.

The EU Business Hub works to create opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises to cooperate with European institutions. They intend to increase their activities to help as many entrepreneurs as possible expand their opportunities. EU Business Hub representative Lesia Berezovets added that Vinnytsia clearly understands their capabilities and knows exactly what results they want to achieve.

"Entrepreneurs need help with communication, understanding the mentality of Europeans and European business. Each country, of course, has its own peculiarities, but the main basis is the project, the people you work with, and responsibility. We were pleasantly surprised by Vinnytsia's questions and suggestions that were voiced during our meeting. So we have an understanding of what this city needs," said Lesia Berezovets.

Another important meeting was with Martin Johnson, Head of the Scottish House Office in Brussels. They talked about possible points of contact and cooperation at the community level, and outlined areas for further communication.