Vinnytsia Gets Acquainted with Spain's Experience in Energy, Infrastructure, Technology, and Artificial Intelligence

The Federation of Municipalities of the Region of Madrid is ready to cooperate with Ukrainian communities. Last week in Spain, as part of the REBIRTH OF UKRAINE trade mission, representatives of Ukrainian communities met with their Spanish counterparts and held a series of meetings to further work on restoring Ukraine and its economic potential through innovation and technology.

The Ukrainian delegation was represented by mayors and business representatives from Vinnytsia, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv and other cities and regions of Ukraine.

The work of both sides started with the signing of a cooperation agreement between the Federation of Municipalities of the Region of Madrid and the Ukrainian Civic Club.

As part of this visit, the participants of the trade mission attended the Ukraine-Spain Economic Recovery Forum, pitch sessions for investment projects, individual B2B meetings, and working visits to Spanish companies. The forum became a platform for discussing the prospects for further cooperation between Ukrainian communities and international partners. Among other things, they discussed such key areas of development as energy, infrastructure, strategic investments, humanitarian aid, and the agricultural sector.

During one of the panel discussions, Vinnytsia Mayor Serhii Morhunov presented the initiatives that Vinnytsia is ready to implement, including with the assistance of foreign partners, and shared the experience of our community's cooperation with European cities.

‘We are here to get new opportunities for the city: to negotiate support, find partners, and show that Ukrainian cities are open for business today. Because the economy must work even during the war. People need it. Particular attention was paid to the community-to-community partnership. The experience of Vinnytsia's cooperation with sister cities and partners confirms that horizontal ties work effectively. Therefore, we continue to expand such interaction,’ said Serhii Morhunov.

According to him, Vinnytsia, like other Ukrainian cities where there are no active hostilities, is involved in supporting the country's economic sector, the stability of which is crucial for defence capability. That is why the community is creating the right conditions for investors to develop production here and become more competitive. Together with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Spain, Serhii Pohoreltsev, they invited Spanish business to Vinnytsia.

At the same time, the delegates had the opportunity to get acquainted with modern technological solutions from companies in the Murcia region, which are part of the Caetra programme, a regional government initiative focused on dual-use technologies used in defence and security, as well as in civilian life. The President of Murcia, José Ballesta, told the guests about the experience of addressing the challenges of the Murcia government in the aftermath of the 2011 earthquakes in Lorca. And the President of the Murcia region, Fernando López Miras, noted that when the time comes for recovery and peace, Europe will be with Ukraine.

Among the best Spanish practices, Vinnytsia representatives focused on the development of renewable energy, innovative technologies, artificial intelligence and cooperation between business and government - these are the areas that, according to Serhii Morhunov, will help our community become economically stronger.

He and other delegates from Ukraine attended a meeting at the office of the Spanish Confederation of Business Organisations (CEOE). According to him, this is the largest association that represents the interests of entrepreneurs before the government, trade unions, and international organisations.

‘We discussed the involvement of companies in projects in Ukrainian communities. There are some challenges. At the intergovernmental level, sovereign guarantee mechanisms for financing such initiatives are not regulated. But representatives from both sides are ready to engage in dialogue and consider potential opportunities for cooperation. Spanish business is strong in engineering, project management, energy, and infrastructure. This is where our interests coincide. Therefore, we agreed with CEOE on extensive communication with the Embassy of Ukraine in Spain to organise a trade mission,’ added Serhii Morhunov.

The members of the Ukrainian Mayors Club also visited the High Technology Centre of the Catholic University of San Antonio de Murcia, which is considered an important centre of the region's technological ecosystem. ‘More than 22 thousand students, campuses in Murcia, Cartagena, Madrid and outside Spain. The President of the University Foundation, María Dolores García Mascarell, is very interested in expanding international cooperation and personally welcomed the Ukrainian delegation. The most pleasant thing was the fact that our resident of Vinnytsia, Maryna Marchuk, is responsible for the international development of the university!’ said Deputy Mayor of Vinnytsia Vladyslav Skalskyy.