The Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal has named five key sectors of the economy in which Ukraine hopes to play an important role as a future EU member state. He said this in an interview with Euractiv, Komersant ukrainskyi reports
According to the Ukrainian Prime Minister, these sectors could include defence, energy, agriculture, raw materials and digital technologies.
Defence sector
“Look at our defence and military sector – Ukraine is a centre of military and defence technology, produces new high-tech equipment, and we have the potential to be a European shield, a European arsenal and strengthen the EU’s defence capabilities. We now have one of the strongest military defence forces in the world, with many real years of experience on the battlefield – this can strengthen the European defence system,” he said,
– Shmyhal said.
Earlier, this aspect was emphasised by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who said that Ukraine would be a full member of the EU defence industry support scheme even before it officially joined the EU.
Energy
Ukraine could also be one of Europe’s energy hubs, Shmyhal suggested, adding that it could “bring stability and more capacity, both economic and energy” to the EU.
“We went through two very difficult winters when Russia terrorised our energy infrastructure, but we still have a surplus in our energy system and we can supply clean green energy to the European market,” he said,
– Shmyhal said.
He added that the current capacity is far from the limit of Ukraine’s capabilities.
“We have one of the largest underground gas storage facilities on the continent on Ukrainian territory, 33 billion cubic metres, in very safe conditions, which are already used by many European companies. We could easily increase this capacity by 10-15 billion cubic metres,” he said,
– mr Shmyhal said.
Food
“Ukraine can also bring more stability to the global food market, and together with us, the EU can be a strong geopolitical player when it comes to food stability and security in the world,”
– said the Ukrainian Prime Minister.
Speaking about the current problems with Ukrainian food exports, he said that Kyiv will be ready to compete under EU rules and is ready for communication, negotiations and compromises.
He noted that only 5% of Ukraine’s agricultural products currently transit through Poland and neighbouring countries. Instead, more than 90% of Ukraine’s agricultural exports would go through the Black Sea corridor.
Raw materials
Ukraine seeks to develop the production and processing of raw materials and natural resources with European investors. For example, Ukraine has 5% of the world’s raw materials and natural resources, including 22 of the 30 most important raw materials crucial for European production, such as lithium, cobalt and titanium, the Prime Minister said.
Digital technologies
“We have very good technologies for cyber defence thanks to our hybrid war with Russia, which can be useful for the EU to increase security and stability in cyber defence in the digital sphere,” he said,
– Shmyhal said.