The delegate of the Federal Council for Ukraine Jacques Gerber signed on Thursday evening with Ukraine an agreement on the reconstruction of the country at war. The treaty must in particular make it possible to strengthen collaboration with the Swiss private sector.
Jacques Gerber signed the treaty with Ioulia Svyrydenko, first vice-prime minister and Minister of the Economy of Ukraine in the Italian capital on the sidelines of his first Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome.
Cooperation with the private sector is currently limited to Swiss companies already established in Ukraine. The expansion of this collaboration with Swiss companies which are not yet present requires a new legal basis. The agreement therefore allows Ukraine to benefit from non -refundable financial assistance.
![The delegate of the Federal Council for Ukraine Jacques Gerber. [KEYSTONE - ANTHONY ANEX]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw== "The delegate of the Federal Council for Ukraine Jacques Gerber. [KEYSTONE - ANTHONY ANEX]")
Selection process
“We are not going to give projects to everyone. There will be a selection process that should allow real needs to be met in Ukraine,” said Jacques Gerber in an interview with Keystone-ATS.
This is for example energy, transport and mobility, mechanical equipment, construction, water as well as protection against disasters and their prevention.
The delegate of the Federal Council for Ukraine also explains that the private projects which will be selected “will not compete with Ukrainian services and will have been chosen by the local authorities.”
500 millions
An amount of 500 million francs is planned until 2028 for this agreement. This amount represents a third of the total sum allocated by Bern to Ukraine by 2028.
Ukraine will have to define its reconstruction needs and transmit a list of the goods and services it needs for this purpose. The Confederation stresses that the acquisition of these goods and services will be done on public procurement. The text of the agreement will be submitted to Parliament for approval.
To avoid any unpleasant surprises with the projects that will be selected, Jacques Gerber relies on a very rigorous study of the latter before validation. “We have listed all a series of conditions, particularly on human rights, respect for labor law and environmental law. But each project has its own life and its own dynamics,” tempers the Jurassian.
A commitment throughout the territory
The Swiss delegation, also made up of members of the State Secretariat for the Economy, the Directorate of Development and Cooperation as well as the Swiss Embassy in kyiv, also launched in Rome the second phase of the Decentralization for Improved Democratic Education (Decide) project.
This text emphasizes the creation of safe learning environments, for example by promoting the creation of shelter in schools. “The people displaced because of the conflict in Ukraine tell us that their priority factor to return is protected schools in order to continue to train their children,” explains Jacques Gerber.
The DECIDE project must now be extended to 9 regions and 40 Ukrainian municipalities. “Switzerland has chosen not to limit itself to a single specific region for humanitarian aid,” recalls the delegate of the Federal Council for Ukraine.
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