Swiss economic forum in Kyiv

The Geneva Lake Region’s Economic Forum will be held on Nov. 3 at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Ukraine in Kyiv. The representatives of the two French-speaking Swiss cantons situated on the banks of the famous Lac Leman, which is often called Lake Geneva, are scheduled to participate in the forum.

The Swiss delegation, which also includes the heads of the Cantons of Geneva and Vaud, bankers, the presidents of some well-known Swiss companies, lawyers, and education and health officials, is coming to Kyiv to familiarize Ukrainians with the economic advantages of their region, particularly in those areas in which the Swiss take the greatest pride: banking, finance and insurance, high technology, tourism, private secondary schools and institutions of higher education, medical treatment, and ski resorts. The economic conclave will feature general presentations, seminars, and informal meetings involving Ukrainian officials and businesspeople.

The organizer of the forum, the first of its kind to be held in Ukraine, is the Switzerland-Russia-Ukraine-Belarus Chamber of Commerce in cooperation with the Ukrainian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs and the Swiss Embassy in Ukraine.

During his earlier visit to Kyiv in July of this year Guy Mettan, the president of the French-speaking section of the Chamber of Commerce (pictured), shared his plans for the future of the Swiss economic forum in Kyiv at a meeting that took place at The Day‘s editorial offices. In the last four months a great deal of preparatory work was done by the Swiss and Ukrainian sides. We met with Mr. Mettan in his Geneva office, and he was kind enough to give us more detailed information about this important event.

What is the purpose of the Swiss forum in Kyiv, and why did you decide to represent only two cantons — Geneva and Vaud?

First of all, I’d like to tell you that quite a few Ukrainians live in Geneva, and there is a well-established Ukrainian Diaspora there, which is becoming increasingly important. Being a multinational city, Geneva pays a lot of attention to developing relations with all national communities. Forty-five per cent of Geneva’s population is comprised of 180 nationalities.

Second, Ukraine’s role in the economic development of the European continent is also becoming increasingly important: your country has natural resources, well-developed metallurgy and steel production. More and more Ukrainian businesses choose Geneva as a place to sign commercial agreements or open their offices. All this led to the canton and the city governments’ decision to assist Ukrainian businessmen and enterprises by organizing the Swiss economic forum, which, beyond all doubt, will familiarize you with the advantages of various branches of the Swiss economy and open up new ways of developing mutually beneficial cooperation.

Let’s be frank: you know that the political situation in Ukraine is unstable. Aren’t Swiss entrepreneurs, bankers, and potential investors afraid of this?

I will tell you honestly. Every day — and just now — I have been getting telephone calls from people inquiring if our visit to Kyiv will happen. I tried to reassure everybody by telling them there are no problems. In fact, we have two kinds of instability: the financial crisis, which is worrying financiers and bankers all over the world, especially in Switzerland, where banking is the main branch of the economy, delivering 10 per cent of the nation’s GDP; and the political instability in Ukraine.

We already know that the Ukrainian parliament has been dissolved, and there is no unity in the Ukrainian government. Undoubtedly, that factor cannot help to strengthen trust. I personally consider it very significant that such a politically stable country as Switzerland is showing an interest in developing mutually beneficial relations with a country that is going through such a difficult period of its political consolidation.

What will be the main topics of the seminars at the Swiss forum?

To my mind, Ukrainians will be interested in the seminar devoted to organizing the Euro-2012 championship, this most important event for your country. Geneva was one of the city-organizers of this year’s championship: we hosted three matches. This is an area in which Swiss experience may be useful to Ukrainian experts. The topic of another seminar is “The Economy and the Basics of Legislation for Entrepreneurs.” Ukrainian entrepreneurs today have problems with financing, as it is difficult to find reliable foreign investors. However, one should have a good understanding of what requirements and criteria an enterprise has to meet, and what rules and formalities it has to follow. Small Switzerland ranks tenth among the world’s investors, and this part of our experience may also be interesting to Ukrainian businessmen.

Today Geneva is one of the world’s brokerage and mediation centers. That is why we may become a kind of “open door” to the European markets for Ukrainian enterprises.

What do you expect from this forum?

The main emphasis is on holding meetings and establishing direct contacts by networking and communicating. Our aim is to demonstrate the interest of the French-speaking part of Switzerland in Ukraine. The members of the business delegation will be able to establish concrete contacts with Ukrainian partners. But we won’t be talking only about economic areas; we can cooperate in the areas of tourism, culture, student exchanges, etc.

Who is included in the official Swiss delegation?

Pierre-Francois Unger, Councillor of State, Economy and Health Department (Geneva), will head the delegation. The Canton of Vaud will be represented by Jean-Frederic Berthoud, director of the Department of Economic Development. Pierre Mirabaud, the president of the Swiss Bankers Association, will speak for the private sector. The delegation consists of more than 30 individuals, including representatives of Swiss business circles, jurists and lawyers, bankers and architects, directors of hospitals and schools, heads of travel agencies and publishing houses. For the purposes of comparison, I have to say that in 2008 our Chamber of Commerce held a Week of Economy and Culture in Moscow, which was attended by 25 Swiss.

So, let us hope for the success of the Swiss economic forum in Kyiv, which will help Ukrainians learn more about our small Alpine country, which is located in the very heart of Europe. Although our country is not a member of the European Union, it plays an extremely important role in the international arena of political negotiations and the world of banking and finance.