Anyone visiting Independence Square in the heart of Kyiv in the past few weeks will have seen the massive “British Business Days in Ukraine” banner stretched across the face of the Globus Shopping Centre. The British Business Days in Ukraine (BBDU) are nearly here – they run from 17-19 March. Some great British and Ukrainian speakers have agreed to appear at the opening Business-to-Business event on 17 March, and an exciting array of companies has signed up for the exhibition in Globus 3rd Line from 17-19 March. The UK is one of the biggest inward investors in Ukraine and a host of British businesses and brands are active here. So for anyone who wants to check out the latest trends in everything from retail and fashion through to cars, energy to education, security and professional services, Globus is the place to be in the second half of next week.
I’ve noted before that part of our job here in Ukraine is to discuss with the authorities here how best to improve the business climate. I’m therefore delighted that Prime Minister Azarov has agreed to meet representatives of British companies on 18 March as part of the British Business Days to discuss these issues. I’ve blogged many times on how to improve Ukraine’s competitiveness, from protecting intellectual property to boosting skills for employability and ensuring rapid VAT refunds. I hope the British Business Days in Ukraine and the meetings and people-to-people contacts which accompany the exhibition will help build the conditions Ukraine needs to move towards its goals of improving the business climate and stimulating inwards investment – including even more from the United Kingdom.