On 26.09.2023, the forum of Ukrainian entrepreneurs took place in Warsaw, Business Upgrade Poland 2023, dedicated to the development of Ukrainian entrepreneurship in Ukraine and the EU, in particular in Poland, and which became an effective opportunity for participants to get acquainted with the practical experience of business in overcoming the non-trivial challenges of this year.

As you know, European business practices are very different from Ukrainian ones, with more transparency and clarity. That is why, striving for high-quality and, most importantly, safe development of their business, Ukrainian entrepreneurs go to Poland to expand their production and conquer new horizons. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, more than 30,000 Ukrainian companies have been registered in Poland.

And it is extremely important to start and develop business in another country to integrate into the relevant groups and platforms as much as possible, including by attending business forums organised by both specialised Polish organisations, industry associations and representatives of the Ukrainian diaspora, who tailor the format of events to the Ukrainian entrepreneur.

The Business Upgrade 2023 Poland Forum, partnered by the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry / Ukrainian CCI, is another successful stage of this important business event organised by Daria Didkovska for Ukrainian entrepreneurs around the world. Participation in the forum allowed the participants not only to get high-quality networking and new useful contacts, but also to join the work of the leading business associations in Poland and Europe that help Ukrainian business in every possible way.

Anna Vinnichenko supported the Forum as a presenter and moderator of the first working panel "STATE AND SECTORAL BUSINESS SUPPORT: Tools from the state, unions and associations to support business: grant programmes, loan programmes, platforms for access to international markets". The panel was attended by:

• Jacek Piechota, President of the Polish-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce, which is one of the oldest bilateral Chambers of Commerce in Poland.
• Marcin Nowacki - Vice President of the Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers of Poland ZPP, which supports Polish and Ukrainian entrepreneurs; Head of the EU-Ukraine Civil Society Platform. The topic of his speech: "Opportunities for Ukrainian initiatives. Tools for entrepreneurship development in Poland"
• Bohuslawa Rudetska, project director of the Business for Ukraine Centre at the Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers. Topic: "Support for Ukrainian business from the Business for Ukraine Centre"
• Jacques Turel - Chairman of the Board of the World Trade Centre Warsaw, Poland, who has been selected among the 100 most influential people in Poland for the last 4 years. Speech topic: "World Trade Centre Warsaw - access to investment, financial and corporate instruments. A thousand opportunities to unite the world".
• Andre Pilling - Managing Director at Eco Viva GmbH, NGO "European Ukrainian Bridge I Europäisch Ukrainische Brücke (EUB) e.V.", Chairman of the Committee on Food and Agriculture at AHK Ukraine (The German-Ukrainian Chamber of Industry and Commerce).
• Sergiy Tsivkach is the Executive Director of UkraineInvest, the government office for attracting and supporting investment (Online inclusion). Topic: "UkraineInvest - available instruments of state support. Why is it worth investing in Ukraine?".

The panelists unanimously emphasised that Ukraine's economy and business need unwavering support from partners at this time, before the start of recovery and post-war reconstruction.

We are confident that our joint work will result in the development of practical steps to support Ukrainian business and adapt it to the realities of today. I believe that despite the challenges that Ukrainian business is currently facing, new opportunities will be created.