03 November 2014 Federation of Employers of Ukraine

The EU, Russia and Ukraine May Create a Single Trade Area – Dmitry Firtash

"We as a business have to look forward and set realistic goals. It would be good to combine potentialities to create a common market of the Customs Union, Ukraine and the EU. This will allow Ukraine to get technologies, investments and benefit from the transit corridors development between Europe and Asia", – said the President of the Federation of Employers of Ukraine.
 
More than 100 participants from Germany, Austria, Ukraine and Russia who were discussing the creation of a common market from Lisbon to Vladivostok agreed that union of the EU, EEU and Ukrainian markets into a common economic space with common technical standards, terms of trade that will be of benefit to all parties, can restore trust between the countries.

"Ukrainian, Russian and European businesses have to understand that if politicians cannot solve the problem, it should be solved by the business”, – said Dmitry Firtash.

Business leaders of the EU, Ukraine and Russia stand for creation of a single economic space in the region. One of the Roundtable initiators, the Head of the German-Ukrainian parliamentary group in the Bundestag Karl-Georg Wellmann said that the development of the economic partnership in the region was a precondition of peace-building in Europe. "We all – the EU, Ukraine and Russia – have to find a common solution that will resolve the situation. Such a solution must satisfy all parties, and creation of a common market of the European Union, Russia and Ukraine, Customs Union may be an answer”,– said Karl-Georg Wellmann.

The Chairman of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Aleksandr Shokhin noted that sanctions had a negative impact on the financial condition and technological development of Russian companies. At the same time weakening of the Russian economy could affect the EU economic stability. “If Russian companies declare a default, European lenders and investors will be the first to suffer because they have shares of Russian companies as a pledge”, – said Aleksandr Shokhin.

The Head of the German-Ukrainian Forum Rainer Lindner noted that the business of the EU countries, Ukraine and Russia understands the necessity of a dialog for a speedy resolution of the situation. Political conflict escalation resulted in economic losses in the EU, as well as in Ukraine and Russia. And freedom of movement of goods, services, technology, financial and human capital in the EU-EEU-Ukraine single economic space could again restore peace and give impetus to business development and job creation, said Rainer Lindner.

“Only this year, exports from Germany to Russia fell by 16%, it is 7 billion euros we have not exported, and in Ukraine exports fell by a third. Therefore, politicians responsible for the resolution of these issues must continue to seek a political solution to the conflict”, - said the Head of the German-Ukrainian Forum Rainer Lindner.

NOTE

The series of Roundtables “Ukraine in Europe: Peace and Development” was initiated by the Head of the German-Ukrainian Forum Rainer Lindner and the Head of the German-Ukrainian parliamentary group in the Bundestag Karl-Georg Wellmann. The Federation of Employers of Ukraine has become the co-organizer of the Roundtable. The Roundtable on November 3 at Vienna was also attended by the European Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry (2004-2010), Günter Verheugen, Minister of Economics and Technology of Germany (2005-2009) Michael Glos, President of the Federation of Employers of Ukraine Dmitry Firtash, President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Aleksandr Shokhin, Vice-president of the BusinessEurope association, President of the Employers' Confederation of Latvia Vitalijs Gavrilovs, Chairman of the German Agribusiness Alliance Franz-Georg von Busse.