Metinvest said what they expect when Ukraine joins the EU

Ukraine’s accession to the European Union opens up significant opportunities for our country, but Ukrainian interests must be taken into account. The head of the group CEO’s office said this Metinvest Alexander Vodoviz at the Dialogues about the Future conference, held by NV.

He said that from the beginning of an all-out war Metinvest lost 50% of the business. And if before the war the company annually invested more than $1 billion in the development of businesses, today it is about $300 million.

“Now we are in survival mode and we cannot plan for the future for 5-7 years, as we always do,” said Vodoviz.

In his opinion, for investments to come to Ukraine, in addition to obvious reasons such as the end of the war, it is also necessary to ensure the development of democratic institutions, a transparent judicial system and protection of investments. In addition, it is necessary to defend Ukrainian interests on the path to joining the EU.

“Now the No. 1 opportunity for us is to join the European Union But our negotiators believe that we should accept all the directives that the EU gives Negotiate some preferences We certainly have to carry out reforms, but in instead, ask for funding for them, as all the countries that joined the European Union did, a big request for the government and the negotiating teams to pay attention to it.

Vodoviz noted that one of the most difficult problems in business is the lack of personnel due to the departure of Ukrainians abroad: about 8 million people, mostly mid-level specialists, left the Ukraine, and they have to return, having won the competition from the Europeans.

“But in order to have incentives to return, there must be infrastructure here. And we will build this infrastructure in the cities of our presence. People will return if the children can attend a normal school, if there is a park in the city, if it is safe, if there is normal housing We will surely deal with these things,” he assured.

Vodoviz also emphasized that for investment, a stable tax system is important, which allows businesses to plan their work, and does not provide constant change.

“I understand that 51% of our budget is funded by donors, and when the pockets are empty, the government has no choice but to raise the tax hole in just a few months. And White’s businesses are will continue to pay taxes, and other companies will go into the shadows or close. No one has yet attracted investment to the country by raising taxes.

We remind you that in the spring of 2024, nine group companies Metinvest entered the Index of the best enterprises of Ukraine according to Opendatabot. And in the fall, the group entered the top of the largest taxpayers in Ukraine.