As reported by Open4Business, president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Ukraine Gennady Chyzhikov called on European chambers of commerce, companies and investors to become more actively involved in the economic recovery of Ukraine even before the end of the war. This was discussed during the meeting of affiliated and associated members of EUROCHAMBRES, which took place on September 1-2, 2026 in Istanbul with the participation of representatives of the business communities of European countries.
The meeting was hosted by the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB). It was attended by President of EUROCHAMBRES Vladimir Dlougi, Vice President of EUROCHAMBRES and President of TOBB Rifat Hisardjiklioglu, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey for EU Affairs Mehmet Kemal Bozai, Director General of EUROCHAMBRES Ben Butters, as well as heads of chambers of commerce of Ukraine, Serbia, Georgia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other countries.
Among the key topics of discussion were the future enlargement of the EU, economic relations with candidate countries, the impact of the war in Ukraine on European security, trade and transport links, as well as the growing role of the Black Sea region in trade, energy and the supply of critical raw materials.
Participants paid special attention to the development of transport and economic corridors between the EU and Central Asia through Turkey and the South Caucasus. The participants of the meeting also discussed updating the mechanisms of interaction between EUROCHAMBRES members and strengthening practical cooperation between chambers of commerce.
"For Ukrainian business, European integration is a strategic and irreversible course. EUROCHAMBRES plays a special role as a bridge between Ukrainian and European business, as well as a practical tool for promoting the economic integration of Ukraine into the EU," Chizhikov noted.
According to him, Ukraine's advancement to membership in the European Union should be accompanied by the parallel convergence of Ukrainian and European business, the formation of new production chains, the expansion of trade and the involvement of European capital in reconstruction projects. Ukrainian enterprises continue to work under the conditions of attacks on production facilities, logistics centers, and trade infrastructure, so practical support from European partners is needed now.
"I spoke frankly: how does business hold up in these difficult times, when attacks on business facilities, logistics centers, and shopping areas do not stop, but on the contrary - intensify. It is not easy to say aloud in front of colleagues from other countries, but it is important,so that they hear it not from the news, but from us," said Chyzhikov.
Ukraine is part of EUROCHAMBRES as an affiliated member. According to the current data of the organization itself, EUROCHAMBRES unites through its members a network of about 1.7 thousand regional and local chambers of commerce and industry, which represent more than 20 million enterprises in Europe. More than 93% of the companies represented by this network belong to small and medium-sized businesses, and in total, they provide more than 120 million jobs. EUROCHAMBRES was created in 1958 and represents the interests of the business community before the EU institutions. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Ukraine is a non-profit self-governing organization. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Ukraine includes about 8,000 enterprises and entrepreneurs. conducts examination and evaluation, issues certificates of origin of goods, certifies force majeure circumstances. According to the Chamber of Commerce of Ukraine, it has 70 representatives in 56 countries, concluded 174 international cooperation agreements and coordinates 45 bilateral business councils.
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Economy
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Ukraine calls on Eurochambres to mobilize European business for larger-scale participation in reconstruction
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