The reconstruction of Ukraine: a subject that does not wait for the end of the war

This will be an important meeting for Ukraine, even if it takes place in a climate of tension between kyiv and Warsaw. Thursday June 25 and Friday June 26, the international conference for the reconstruction of Ukraine is being held in Gdansk, Poland. Delegations from around a hundred countries are expected there as well as international institutions such as the World Bank and the European Investment Bank and businesses.

This is the fifth conference of its kind, for needs that continue to grow. According to an estimate published at the start of the year by the World Bank, 14% of the housing stock was damaged or destroyed, energy infrastructure was affected, as were transport networks (bridges and railway infrastructure in particular). The amount of direct damage amounts to 200 billion dollars, or 175 billion euros.

Rebuilding Ukraine is a subject that needs to be addressed now. The country has also designated pilot towns, such as Boarka, near kyiv, where programs concern buildings, a hospital and playing fields. Water and heat networks have also been rebuilt in Kharkiv. And this Gdansk conference must give a boost to this type of project, with the signing of financial guarantee agreements and the launch of calls for tenders. The priority is the energy system, hard hit this winter, with the aim of preparing for next winter.

This is demonstrated, for example, in France by the success of Ukraine funds to finance infrastructure reconstruction projects. A large number of companies applied: 19 projects selected out of 70 submitted, for the first fund of 200 million euros. Moreover, it may come as a surprise, but the amount of foreign investments in Ukraine (around 4 billion euros per year) has fallen little compared to pre-war levels. Despite the conflict, the country remains attractive.

The human dimension is also important when we talk about reconstruction and the future of the country. A subject which is one of the points which will be discussed at the Gdansk conference. There are glaring labor problems. A subject existing before the war, but exacerbated by mobilization on the front and exile in other countries. There are 5.5 million Ukrainians who left after the war still living abroad. The debate around labor immigration is beginning to emerge in Ukraine, not without encountering some resistance The country is coming a long way: today the number of work permits issued to foreigners is half what it was before the war.