Ukraine Investment Guide 2024

Investing in Ukraine is crucial for supporting the recovery and rebuilding efforts, which in turn contributes to global stability and prosperity.

Ukraine offers a unique strategic investment opportunity with its significant consumer market and strategic geographical location in Europe. Despite the unprecedented challenges from the full-scale invasion, Ukraine has shown remarkable economic resilience. The country has made strides in market access and regulatory alignment with the EU, laying the groundwork for substantial economic growth through ongoing reforms. 

Ukraine is undertaking reforms to enhance its business environment and integrate with European standards. The GoU is implementing reforms focusing on improving the country’s business climate including legal reforms, anti corruption, business environment and privatisation. Key reforms of the business environment include customs reform, tax reform, business deregulation, relaunch of the Bureau of Economic Security, simplified procedure for connecting real estate to utility networks, alignment of public procurement with EU standards and general harmonisation of rules and regulations with the EU acquis, energy markets liberalization.

UkraineInvest Guide  is set to become the main source of information about Ukraine to potential investors. It contains information about Ukraine’s potential and analytical data from various industries, and it also promotes the stories of foreign companies that are already successfully operating in our country.

The Guide consists of nearly 100 pages of analytical information aimed at informing foreign investors about the country’s resource potential, investment projects and changes in regulatory policy.

UkraineInvest Guide is a one-stop-shop reference to consider investment opportunities in Ukraine.

Explore investment opportunities in cities and regions of Ukraine

Lviv Region

Investment passport of Lviv Region

Cherkasy Region

Catalogue of Cherkasy Region

Kryvyi Rih Urban Area

Investment passport of Kryvyi Rih

Chernivtsi Region

chernivtsi-region-overview.pdf

catalogue-buy-from-cherkasy-region.pdf

Zakarpattia region

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1t9PhkUZlWR1jr0BUOJr6THy_pRjmkSpO/view

Comprehensive Guide for Investors https://ukraineinvest.gov.ua/guide/

Investment Atlas UkraineInvest

National Investment Council of Ukraine http://www.nicouncil.org.ua/en/

Investment Opportunities in Different Areas

• Agribusiness
• IT
• Manufacturing
• Mineral Fertilizers

FDI in Ukraine: Success Stories

Discover new opportunities with Export Promotion Office https://epo.org.ua/en/

Invest into Ukrainian sea ports http://investinports.com/en/

Law of Ukraine on State Support for Investment Projects with Significant Investments entered into force on 13 February 2021.

According to this law Ukraine will provide a number of incentives for large investment projects, in particular:

• tax incentives (exemption from the income tax, from customs duties and VAT when importing new equipment into Ukraine);
• simplified provision of land necessary for investment project;
• construction&reconstruction of related infrastructure at the expense of the state;
• consolidation of investor guarantees through the conclusion of a direct agreement with the Government of Ukraine for 15 years.

The total amount of state support shall not exceed 30% of the amount of investment in the project.

State support will be provided for investors who are going to invest more than 20 million euros as well as to create at least 80 new workplaces.

The project implementation period should not exceed 5 years in such sectors of economy:

• processing industry (except for the production and circulation of tobacco products, alcohol, and alcoholic beverages);
• extraction for further processing and / or enrichment of minerals (except coal, crude oil and natural gas);
• waste management;
• transport, warehousing, postal and courier activities, logistics;
• education and science;
• health care, art, culture, sports, tourism, resort and recreational industry.

This bill was developed on the basis of best practices existing in the EU and our neighboring countries.

"The Investment Nanny Law" introduces a completely new approach to supporting investors. The Ministry of Economy has drafted a number of bylaws for implementing the law to make the process of selecting investment projects and providing state aid transparent and clear for understanding.

The Law provides support for projects with investments of over 20 million euros. Among the mandatory requirements for projects: at least 80 working places with a salary higher by 15%, compared to the average salary in the region.

Business support will be provided in several areas: exemption from certain taxes and fees in accordance with the Tax Code of Ukraine; exemption from import duty on new equipment and components imported exclusively for the implementation of the investment project. It is also possible to provide the investor with the preferential right to use a land plot of state or communal property, or to provide a land plot of state or communal property for use (lease), etc.

For more detailed information on various aspects of state support for investment projects with significant investments we suggest you to get acquainted with the presentation materials below:

The Investment Nanny Law Presentation

What is privatization

Privatization is the paid alienation of state-owned property in favor of individuals or legal entities.

All privatization objects are divided into small-scale and large-scale privatization objects. Objects of small-scale privatization include not only state-owned enterprises and stakes but also objects of unfinished construction and socio-cultural purposes, separate movable and immovable property, the value of which does not exceed UAH 250 million. If the cost of the object is higher than UAH 250 million – these are large-scale privatization objects, to which only state-owned enterprises and share packages can apply. Usually, such objects require more time for pre-privatization preparation, attraction of potential buyers and their familiarization with information about the enterprise.

All objects are sold exclusively through government’s electronic trading system ProZorro.Sale, which is built on the principles of full transparency – the entire sale process takes place publicly and openly to avoid corruption. For entrepreneurs and companies, this is a good opportunity to buy something interesting for the development of their business and their community. For the country, this is economic recovery and development of the state.

Potential buyers can also initiate the inclusion of objects in the list of privatization – by submitting an application for the inclusion of a state-owned object in the list of objects subject to privatization. More details here.

What is the state of state-owned enterprises in Ukraine

At the beginning of 2021, there were 3,343 state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in Ukraine. Only 943 of them are profitable, and 511 are unprofitable. 1,885 state-owned enterprises do not work at all, of which 585 are located in the temporarily occupied Crimea and the zone of operations of the United Forces (Donbass region). A significant part of these enterprises should be declared bankrupt and liquidated long ago. The majority should be transferred to privatization and new efficient owners should be found for them at open and transparent auctions.

The number of SOEs in different countries of the world is extremely insignificant: Poland – 55, Lithuania – 91, Sweden – 46, Canada – 50, Australia – 9. 

What are the main goals of privatization

• To fight against corruption, which is common in SOE and when managing the state property.
• To attract direct investments and strategic investors, both from Ukraine and from other countries.
• To сreatе effective prerequisites for reconstruction and economic recovery of the state.
• To attract additional revenues to the budget both from sales and, subsequently, from tax revenues from new businesses.
• To improve the performance of enterprises or the quality of property use through an effective owner search.
• To modernize production or re-profile facilities and to create of new jobs.

What will not be privatized

• - Enterprises that ensure the security of the state.
• - Enterprises that are natural monopolies.
• - Enterprises that are important to society or whose services/goods cannot be performed by private businesses.

The main legislature on privatization in Ukraine:

• Law of Ukraine “On privatization of state and communal property”
• Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated 10.05.2018 № 432 “On approval of the Procedure for conducting electronic auctions for the sale of small privatization objects”

Official website: https://privatization.gov.ua/en/