More than three years since the start of Russia’s unjustified aggression, daily images of death and destruction caused by Russian attacks on Ukrainian people and cities remind us of the brutality of the conflict in Ukraine. A war on European soil after more than 70 years. An aggression that saw an extraordinary international mobilization, starting with the European Union and its Member States, to support the heroic Ukrainian resistance. Bearing witness to its traditional solidarity and commitment, our country has been on the front line, alongside Ukraine and its people, since the beginning of the conflict, providing humanitarian, financial and other forms of economic assistance amounting to as much as EUR 2.5 billion, in addition to substantial aid for its defence. At the recent NATO Summit in The Hague, with all international partners we reaffirmed our unity in supporting President Zelensky‘s efforts to achieve a ceasefire and a just and lasting peace. Supporting Ukraine remains a priority for our security and our future.
From the conflict in Ukraine to the recent crisis between Iran and Israel, in fact, we are witnessing the fragmentation of the international scenario as we have known it so far. The crisis areas around us Europeans continue to multiply, challenging the stability and prosperity to which we have been accustomed. Our effort, as Italian government, is relentless to foster peace and reduce the impact of conflicts on populations. In the wake of Pope Leo XIV‘s message not to become accustomed to war, we cannot lose hope that arms will fall silent and diplomacy and dialogue will prevail. As I have always said, Ukraine’s future and independence also pass through the reconstruction of the country, so as to give hope to a people who have been tenaciously resisting the war for more than three years and to help Ukrainian society on its path toward the European Union. Bearing this in mind, Italy is hosting the Ukraine Recovery Conference on 10 and 11 July. In the evocative setting of the Palazzo della Nuvola, as Italian government together with our Ukrainian counterparts, we have invited nearly one hundred countries, dozens of international and financial organizations, 2,500 companies, local authorities and Italian, Ukrainian and international civil society associations. This is the most important annual international event dedicated to the country where topics such as Ukraine’s reconstruction, reform and modernization will be discussed.
The goal of these days will be to bring public and private actors together to define key economic commitments, programs and understandings to jointly contribute to reconstruction efforts. Discussions at the Conference will be focused on four main areas, or rather “dimensions”: business, human, local and regional dimensions, and that of reforms on the path to EU membership. Important preparatory events, held in Milan, Kyiv, Brussels and Verona, have been dedicated to them in recent months. The works will focus on a forum on recovery and a business fair. The forum will consist of seminars and technical workshops dedicated to the most relevant and promising sectors for the Ukrainian economy, while the fair will provide an opportunity for Italian, Ukrainian and international companies to present their projects for the country, meet and explore possibilities for cooperation that also include Ukrainian local authorities, which will present the main investment opportunities. I believe, in fact, that supporting Ukraine is not only a duty, but also an extraordinary opportunity for common growth. The most recent World Bank’s assessment of the damage caused by the conflict estimates the total cost of reconstruction at EUR 500 billion. To give a concrete example, again according to the World Bank, the transport sector needs nearly $78 billion for reconstruction over the next ten years. The railway sector alone (tracks, bridges, stations, electrical systems, etc.) requires investment estimated at $15 billion. I am convinced that our companies will be able to make a huge contribution by seizing the opportunities provided by the financial and insurance instruments that together enable them to contribute to the country’s recovery.
However, we want to do more. A priority will be to concretely help people and SMEs, which, in Ukraine as in Italy, are the backbone of the economy. In fact, according to the OECD, SMEs account for 99.9 percent of companies in Ukraine, employing 81.6 percent of the workforce and providing more than 70 percent of the added value of domestic production. These are companies that seek to step up their partnerships with Europe and, in this context, there are many opportunities for our companies that we intend to catalyse through the Conference. Reconstruction also passes through culture, a sector in which Italy is an absolute world leader. Since the beginning of my term of office, after the inscription of the port city of Odessa in the list of the World Heritage in Danger, I strongly wished our country to contribute, with UNESCO, to rebuild the roof of the cathedral destroyed by the bombings. With the Conference, we will also launch the Rome Declaration for Science, Research and Innovation in Ukraine, promoted by the Ministry of University and Research in cooperation with the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science, the European Commission, and with the support of UNESCO.
Rebuilding Ukraine with Western standards is indeed a historic opportunity, as well as a just effort aimed at restoring prospects for growth and prosperity to the benefit of a people who want to be able to freely choose their own destiny. Bearing this in mind, we are working for the successful outcome of an international event that will be attended by all the Ministers of our government. Much still remains to be done, but Italy will always support the legitimate aspirations of the Ukrainian people to be reunited with the common home that, with great effort and sacrifice, we have been building for seventy-five years, i.e. since the Schuman Declaration of May 9, 1950. The Rome Conference will certainly be remembered as an important step in this direction.
Antonio Tajani
Vice Presidente del Consiglio e Ministro degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale
Published by “Formiche” and Esteri.it