Ukraine economy talks. On Tuesday, the Italian Minister of Enterprise, Adolfo Urso, held a virtual meeting with a delegation from the Ukrainian government, led by the Head of the Ukrainian Presidential Administration, Andrej Yermak, and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Julija Svyrydenko. Talks centred on two main projects to support Ukrainian products and businesses, according to an official readout.
Branding matters… Kyiv asked Rome for technical assistance to create a “Made in Ukraine” brand, a project launched by Minister Urso during his trip to the Ukrainian capital in January and to which he assured “maximum support.”
- The Italian official, whose ministry also oversees the protection and promotion of “Made in Italy,” believes identifying typical Ukrainian products with a national brand can aid their sales.
- The two governments are working on fleshing out the project’s more technical aspects to make it compatible with EU regulations and with the existing commitments Ukraine has already made to Brussels.
… and industrial cooperation. The second project entails bolstering the synergy between the Italian and Ukrainian industrial systems. Minister Urso “stressed the importance of closer cooperation, calling for the involvement of Italian and Ukrainian trade associations so that the most concrete opportunities can be seized quickly.”
- Participants expressed their high hopes for the upcoming Ukraine reconstruction conference, to be held in Rome on April 16, that it might soon translate into an active contribution to Ukraine’s productive recovery.
- Italian PM Giorgia Meloni and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had discussed the conference in late March…
- … and the head of Confindustria, Italy’s chamber of commerce, had travelled alongside Minister Urso to set up a new office to coordinate industrial and technological cooperation between Rome and Kyiv.
