Ukrainian refugees, almost a million of whom are currently living and working in Germany, are a great opportunity for German companies to both solve the labor shortage and create a foundation for future closer cooperation with Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said at the opening of the 6th Ukrainian-German Business Forum in Berlin on Tuesday.
“Take advantage of this huge potential. Integrate Ukrainians who are here with us into your companies. Even if these women and men return to Ukraine after the war, they will become a valuable asset for their companies. Because then they form “human bridges” with a country that, as a candidate for EU membership, has enormous economic potential,” the Chancellor emphasized.
According to him, many of the Ukrainian refugees in these weeks and months are completing integration courses, many now speak German, and almost all of them are well educated.
“This is a guarantee that the economic relations between Germany and Ukraine will develop even better and more dynamically in the future,” Scholz said of the integration of Ukrainians into German companies.
He noted that Ukraine is a country with millions of hardworking, well-educated citizens. “A country with which we are more closely connected than ever before, thanks to the Ukrainians who now live here with us,” the German Chancellor emphasized.
According to the organizers of the forum, including the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DIHK), the Eastern Committee of the German Economy (OA) and the German-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AHK Ukraine), the event brought together more than 500 participants who wanted to learn about Ukraine’s economic development during the war, as well as about available opportunities for cooperation and investment. This year’s conference is titled “Ukraine’s economy is growing again despite the war / Demand from German companies”. Three panel discussions will focus on infrastructure, energy, and defense.
“Regardless of the war, a dozen investment projects have already been launched, and German companies are currently applying for investment guarantees from the federal government for another 30 projects. Reconstruction has begun, and German companies have joined it,” emphasized Christian Bruch, Deputy Chairman of the OA.
According to him, the risk of war can be controlled, especially in the western and central parts of the country, but more attractive offers of public and private financing, as well as insurance solutions, are needed.
Rainer Perau, Managing Director of AHK Ukraine, also believes that the security situation allows business travel to resume in most regions to start doing business.
It is noted that in the first eight months of 2023, German-Ukrainian trade increased by about 30% to EUR 6.2 billion: imports to Germany decreased slightly again – by 5.5% to EUR 1.8 billion, while exports increased by 52% to EUR 4.4 billion.
As reported with reference to Eurostat, as of August 31, 2023, 4 million 155.6 thousand non-EU citizens who fled Ukraine as a result of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, 98% of whom were Ukrainian citizens, had temporary protection status in the EU.
According to Eurostat, as of the end of August, the main EU countries that received temporary protection recipients from Ukraine were Germany (1 million 175.70 thousand people; 28.3% of the total), Poland (960.55 thousand people; 23.1%) and the Czech Republic (365.09 thousand people; 8.8%). The total share of these three countries is 60.2%. At the same time, over the past five months, the number of beneficiaries of temporary protection from Ukraine in Germany increased by 108 thousand people, in the Czech Republic – by 39.8 thousand, while in Poland it decreased by 39.2 thousand.
