During a panel discussion at the forum “Rebuilding Ukraine: Security, Opportunities, Investments”, experts from the business and financial sectors said that only a limited number of Romanian companies are ready to participate in large-scale projects to rebuild Ukraine, while access to financial instruments and risk-sharing mechanisms remains a key prerequisite for their more active involvement.
The panel was moderated by Cristina Chiriac, President of the National Confederation of Women’s Entrepreneurship of Romania (CONAF). The panel was joined by Teodora Preotias, director of European Funds Administration at the Romanian Investment and Development Bank, Mihai Daraban, president of the Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Viorel Manole, executive director of the Romanian Defence Industry Association PATROMIL.
The participants noted that the market for Ukrainian reconstruction projects is now largely structured by international financial institutions, which have high requirements for corporate governance, compliance and risk management. According to them, a large part of Romanian companies do not have sufficient operational capacity to act as main contractors and have to limit themselves to the role of subcontractors in supply chains.
“To participate in major projects, you need access to credit lines, guarantees and risk-sharing mechanisms, which are mostly administered by international financial institutions. Without this, many of our companies simply cannot enter such contracts directly,” Preotiasa noted during the discussion.
The experts noted the need to create an official Romanian-Ukrainian information platform that would consolidate data on available tenders, donor requirements and opportunities for business participation. They also called for the development of a national strategy to support companies operating or planning to operate on the Ukrainian market in conditions of increased political and security risks, including instruments of state guarantees and investment insurance.
A separate block of discussion concerned the possibility of locating part of strategic production facilities in Romania or other safe neighbouring states to ensure continuity of production and logistics. According to Manole, such an approach could strengthen the contribution of national industry to Ukraine’s recovery and at the same time minimise security risks for investors. He had previously publicly noted the potential of locating Ukrainian defence industries in Romania as an element of bilateral cooperation.
As a result of the discussion, the participants concluded that the potential of Romanian companies in the projects of Ukraine’s reconstruction is significant, but its implementation depends on the coordination of government institutions, availability of financial instruments, as well as close cooperation with international partners and financial organisations.
The forum “Rebuilding Ukraine: Security, Opportunities, Investments” takes place on 11-12 December in Bucharest under the auspices of the Romanian and Ukrainian Foreign Ministries and is organised by the New Strategy Center. According to the organisers, more than 30 panel discussions and parallel sessions are planned during the two days with the participation of representatives of governments, international organisations, private sector, financial institutions and experts from Europe, North America and Asia. Panel topics cover security and defence, infrastructure, finance and investment, green energy, digitalisation, human capital and cross-border cooperation.