On September 17, the Economic Security Council of Ukraine and the EU Defence Innovation Office co-hosted a roundtable «Integration of the Ukrainian Defence Industry into the European Defence Market.«The event took place in Lviv as part of the international investment summit Defence Tech Valley.
The discussion was attended by Oleh Tsilvik, Acting Head of the State Service for Export Control of Ukraine (SSEC), Andriy Kotyk, Director of the Department of Strategic Development of the Defence Industrial Complex of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, Martin Jõesaar, Program Manager of the EU Defence Innovation Office, as well as industry representatives Vadym Yunyk, Co-founder of FRDM and President of the Technological Forces of Ukraine, and Ihor Fedirko, Executive Director of the Ukrainian Council of Defence Industry.
The participants of the discussion agreed that for full cooperation with international partners, Ukraine critically needs a transparent and understandable model of arms export in wartime conditions.
Oleh Tsilvik emphasized that the export control system of Ukraine is identical to similar systems in EU countries, and in addition to SSEC, it includes other government agencies with a complex system of interaction. Current legislation needs updating and work on this is currently underway.
According to Vadym Yunyk, Co-founder of FRDM and a Board Member of the Technological Forces of Ukraine, arms exports benefit both manufacturers and the state, as they are crucial for winning the war and strengthening Ukraine's economy and defence capabilities. He argues that the government must establish transparent export rules and clearly determine which technologies and military equipment can be approved through a streamlined process.
Representative of the Ministry of Defence Andriy Kotyk presented the new initiative Defence City. Executive Director of the Ukrainian Council of Defence Industry Ihor Fedirko expressed positive expectations regarding Defence City, which should reduce the tax burden, liberalize procedures and attract foreign investments.
«Member states are talking right now very actively with Ukraine how to do co-production and technology transfer. We need to have clarity, especially the SAFE loans are coming, €150 billion, it’s a lot of money. We want to use it together with Ukrainians. But if we don’t understand the rules, the window of opportunity will be closed soon», emphasized Martin Jõesaar, program manager of the EU Defence Innovation Office.
The discussion was moderated by Oleksandra Azarkhina, Head of the Defence Industries Initiatives at the Economic Security Council of Ukraine. «Among the necessary solutions are to develop by-laws regarding Defence City, institutionalize the Build with Ukraine initiative, and update the strategy for the development of the defence industry”, Oleksandra summarized.
The event was organized by the Economic Security Council of Ukraine (ESCU) jointly with the EU Defence Innovation Office, with the support of partners — NAUDI, FEU: Defence, Technological Forces of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Council of Defence Industry and the League of Defence Companies of Ukraine.