The business associations and representatives of the professional community who have signed this statement consistently support the development of a lobbying framework in Ukraine based on the principles of transparency, ethics, and good faith. We advocate for the implementation of best international practices and the establishment of an open dialogue between business and the state.
At the same time, we express concern regarding the initiative to develop a professional standard “Lobbying Professional (Lobbyist),” which provides for the introduction of new mandatory requirements for lobbying entities, in particular the completion of specialized training and additional qualification procedures, thereby creating artificial barriers to engaging in such activities.
The institution of lobbying in Ukraine is only now taking shape following the adoption of the Law of Ukraine “On Lobbying” No. 3606-IX (the Law). The Law has established a comprehensive and adequate regulatory framework that complies with international standards (OECD, EU, GRECO) and was developed and adopted, in particular, as part of Ukraine’s commitments in the process of European integration to ensure transparency in the interaction between representatives of public authorities and stakeholders in the context of lawmaking. This approach, borrowed in particular from European Union practice, does not require the introduction of mandatory professional standards or certification for lobbyists, focusing instead on transparency in the use of lobbying tools.
At the same time, it is important to emphasize that current legislation already contains the necessary safeguards and control mechanisms. In particular, the obligation to register in the Transparency Registry ensures that lobbying entities operate within the legal framework, comply with established rules, reporting requirements, and ethical standards provided for by law.
Thus, the key task at this stage is the effective implementation of existing legislation, rather than the introduction of new regulatory instruments, the necessity of which is not provided for by law and which distort the essence of the approaches established by the current law.
Consequently, the professional community does not support the adoption of a “lobbyist” professional standard, as it is inappropriate in the current context of the development of the lobbying institution, is not provided for by the Law, and contradicts the regulatory concept enshrined therein. Moreover, it creates additional barriers for businesses and public associations, carries risks of restricting competition and potentially monopolizing the market, and effectively introduces new regulatory requirements beyond the scope of the law, which contradicts the principles of deregulation.
Given this, the united business community considers the development of a professional standard and the introduction of additional requirements to be unacceptable and inconsistent with the current stage of development of the lobbying market in Ukraine, as well as undermining its foundations.
We remain open to dialogue and cooperation on the formation of an effective, transparent, and balanced lobbying regulatory system in Ukraine, based on the principles of openness, good faith, and equal access.
This statement is open for signature by other lobbying entities that support equal and independent operating conditions in the lobbying sector.
Signatories:
The Madrid High Court rejected Airbnb’s request to suspend payment of a €64 million fine imposed by the Spanish Ministry of Consumer Affairs and ordered the company to pay the fine while the case is pending. This was reported by Spanish media, and the move is part of a broader campaign by Spanish authorities to tighten control over the short-term rental market.
According to a report by El País, the fine was imposed in December 2025 and is equivalent to approximately six times the amount of “illegally obtained profits” that, according to Spanish authorities, Airbnb received as a result of its controversial advertising practices. The court ruling, published on March 23, specifically concerns the denial of a stay of proceedings, meaning it does not resolve the dispute on its merits but prevents the company from postponing payment until a final verdict.
Spanish authorities justified the sanction based on three main violations. These include the publication of listings for tourist accommodations without the required license number, the use of false or incorrect registration data, and misleading information regarding the legal status of landlords. All of this was classified in Madrid as forms of unfair or misleading advertising.
Airbnb, in turn, stated that the court’s decision is procedural in nature and does not address the substance of the dispute, and that the company itself considers the fine to be contrary to Spanish and European law. The company has already appealed the sanction and is continuing its legal defense.
The case is unfolding against the backdrop of a general tightening of Spain’s policies regarding short-term rentals. According to Reuters, in the summer of 2025, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs announced that it had secured the removal of 65,000 Airbnb listings deemed to be in violation of the rules, and subsequently identified nearly 55,000 more listings lacking the required license numbers. Authorities link this campaign to efforts to ease the pressure of tourist rentals on the housing market and curb rising rent rates for local residents.
Spain as a whole has been tightening restrictions on short-term rentals over the past two years. In particular, in March 2025, one of the country’s highest courts upheld Barcelona’s plan to completely phase out short-term rental licensing by 2028. This underscores that Airbnb’s conflict with regulators is part of a broader shift in Spanish housing policy toward restricting short-term rentals in overheated tourist areas.
For the real estate market and the tourism sector, this means an increase in regulatory risks for short-term rental platforms in Spain.
For the platforms themselves, the key issue is no longer just the scale of the business, but also the ability to quickly adapt to new requirements regarding licensing, transparency of listings, and disclosure of information about property owners.
Ukraine and Singapore have intensified negotiations on opening the market to Ukrainian pork and finalizing the procedures for beginning its export, according to the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection (SSFSCP).
According to the report, during a visit to Singapore, a delegation from the agency, led by its head Serhiy Tkachuk, discussed with the leadership of the Singapore Food Agency the accreditation of Ukrainian enterprises in accordance with previously submitted applications.
“Ukraine already has experience cooperating with Singapore. To date, five forms of veterinary certificates for export have been agreed upon: heat-treated and canned meat products, poultry meat, table eggs, egg products, and pet food,” Tkachuk emphasized.
The trip also included a meeting with representatives of the Meat Traders Association (Singapore). Singaporean companies expressed interest in sourcing Ukrainian pork to diversify imports and strengthen food security.
For their part, representatives of the Meat Industry Association and Ukrainian exporters presented their production capacities and quality standards. The host side familiarized the Ukrainian delegation with the technologies used to prepare meat for sale in Singapore’s retail chains.
Following the meetings, agreements were reached on further cooperation to facilitate Ukrainian businesses’ entry into this market.
The NOVA Group of Companies, which includes Nova Poshta, announced the creation of a new position of Chief People Officer (CPO)—a role responsible for building the management team and developing a unified HR system across the entire international group, according to a post on LinkedIn.
The CPO’s main responsibilities include recruiting top-tier talent for the senior management team, ensuring their onboarding, evaluation, development, and retention; implementing approaches to recruitment, evaluation, development, and retention of employees; and launching an end-to-end system for goal-setting and performance evaluation.
Other responsibilities of the CPO include transforming the HR function into a strategic business partner and establishing a succession planning system for key roles.
It is noted that the company expects the candidate to have more than 10 years of experience in HR in leadership positions at international companies, experience in building N-1 and N-2 management teams with A-class talent, as well as experience implementing HR strategies during periods of growth and change and experience in building a unified management culture across different countries.
In addition, the Nova Post group of companies offers conditions where the CPO will be part of the group’s top management team, reporting to the co-CEOs and the supervisory board, along with a high salary, to be discussed individually based on the results of the interview.
Other benefits include health insurance and other perks provided for the position, with the employment type being a contract and a hybrid work format (Kyiv).
Last week, Nova Poshta co-owner Vyacheslav Klimov announced the group’s five-year plan to rise from 30th place among global express delivery and postal services to the top 20, increasing shipment volume from 0.5 billion to 2 billion, follow the U.S. in entering the Canadian and Chinese markets this year, and double the number of countries where Nova Post Europe operates to 32 by 2028.
The core business of Nova Poshta, the main asset of the NOVA Group, is the express delivery of documents, parcels, and palletized oversized cargo. Its ultimate beneficial owners are Volodymyr Poperechnyuk and Vyacheslav Klimov.
“Corum Druzhkivka Machine-Building Plant” (Dnipro) is manufacturing 30 freight cars with a load capacity of 6 tons for the company’s mines in March, according to the machine-building Corum Group, a subsidiary of “DTEK Energy.”
“One mine car can carry up to 6 tons of cargo at a time, has a service life of up to 10 years, and covers over 16,000 km of underground routes,” the statement reads.
The post notes that after the plant’s relocation, this model had to be adapted: some parts were redesigned and adjusted to fit universal equipment.
Corum Group is a leading manufacturer of mining equipment in Ukraine. It is part of DTEK Energy—an operating company responsible for coal mining and coal-fired power generation within Rinat Akhmetov’s DTEK energy holding.
“Corum DrMZ,” relocated to Dnipro in 2022, manufactured 358 units of underground mining transport in 2025, along with over 935,000 spare parts and components, and more than 400 metal structures. Repairs of KPD shearers have become a separate area of focus.
DTEK Energy’s machine-building assets include the Druzhkivka Machine-Building Plant, the Kharkiv-based “Svitlo Shakhtaria” plant, and the Pershotravensk Machine-Building Plant.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is building a portfolio of private investments in renewable energy and battery energy storage systems (BESS) in Ukraine for 2026, with a total capacity of over 1 GW.
“The EBRD is building a portfolio for 2026 and plans to support such transactions as early as this year,” the EBRD’s Ukraine Facebook page reported on March 24.
Specifically, the EBRD plans to attract investors to projects involving the construction of approximately 570 MW of wind power plants, 240 MW of solar generation, and 230 MW of storage systems.
“All these projects are private investments. As Arvid Türkner, the EBRD’s Head of Operations in Ukraine and Moldova, emphasizes, private sector participation is critical,” the statement noted.
As the EBRD emphasized, this is precisely why RAMP UP was created—a joint initiative of the EBRD and the World Bank that stabilizes revenues from renewable energy and unlocks large-scale private investment.
“The goal is to accelerate the sector so that Ukraine’s potential can be harnessed as soon as conditions improve. The first auctions are expected in 2026,” the bank states.
