On June 11-12 in Berlin, the Ukraine Recovery Conference took place, which cited a crucial milestone in our country's revitalization. You've probably heard a good deal of news about it, and for good reason. Our Chairman Andriy Kolodyuk had a chance to witness the whole thing in person and had written several observations by the end.

First, the meeting was exceptionally practical and up-to-the-ground. It gathered both strong political statements and support pledging, as well as set-to-ready financial and military packages. Ukraine did not disappoint either. It was refreshing to see concrete proposals and a list of projects from entrepreneurs in many industries to invest in.

Secondly, what immediately caught our eye was German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's speech: “Recovery will require large investments, which is impossible without private capital” followed by “Therefore, the EC will create an equity fund that will mobilize important funds for Ukraine.”

We are particularly happy to hear the official European Commission acknowledgement of PE importance that our association has been advocated for years. Loans and credits are fine but they can’t be the main force behind Ukraine’s recovery considering the magnitude of funds needed. However, the old-good private equity supplemented with guarantees can do the job.

As we are aware, the call for institutional investors was made already by the European Commission, thus we can expect the first news by September.