The Council for Entrepreneurship Support reported on its activities: 63% efficiency
27 January 2025 16:16
Oleg Gorokhovsky, a member of the Council for Entrepreneurship Support, presented a detailed report on the results of the advisory body’s work in the first year of its operation. The Council was established by Presidential Decree No. 30/2024 to improve the business climate in Ukraine under martial law, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
Format of work
According to Gorokhovsky, the Council meets several times a week to review entrepreneurs’ appeals, discuss draft laws, and respond to force majeure situations. At the same time, the news is not very encouraging, he says.
“We feel that the intensity of work has not decreased, but the government’s interest in the Council has decreased,”
– he notes.
The Council nevertheless assessed its performance with clear marks based on clear criteria.
Mechanism for solving entrepreneurs’ problems – 10/10
A special team has been set up that entrepreneurs can contact in cases of law enforcement misconduct via email at [email protected]. Over the year, the Council received 31 appeals, of which it successfully resolved six cases. Among the most high-profile:
- “Textile-Contact – criminal proceedings were closed.
- Agromino – an attempted raider seizure was prevented.
- EDS Ukraine – documents and funds seized during searches were returned.
Communication of the role of entrepreneurs – 5/10
The Council worked to change the public perception of business, trying to overcome the stereotype of entrepreneurs as those who “stole something”. The President has started regularly mentioning the role of business taxes in supporting the state’s defense capability, and government officials are attending business forums more often. At the same time, the problem with the law on CFCs, which, according to the Rada, caused entrepreneurs with a total revenue of about $20 billion to leave Ukraine, has not been resolved.
Reducing pressure from law enforcement agencies – 6/10
on January 23, 2024, the National Security and Defense Council introduced a three-month moratorium on legal pressure on Ukrainian companies. Draft law No. 12439 was developed, which regulates the procedure for seizing property, sets clear deadlines for its return, and guarantees the mandatory presence of specialists during searches. The Prosecutor General’s Office audit resulted in the closure of 1218 criminal cases against businesses, although pressure from some government agencies is still ongoing.
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BES reboot – 7/10
on June 20, 2024, the Verkhovna Rada adopted an updated law “On the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine” with amendments made in consultation with the Council. The process of rebooting the BES with the participation of foreign experts and Ukrainian business, including the independent selection of a new head and re-certification of staff, has begun. on January 24, 2025, the acceptance of documents from candidates for the position of director of the BES, which is to become the only transparent law enforcement agency for investigating economic crimes, ended.
Feedback platform – 7/10
In cooperation with the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Digital Transformation, a beta version of the Pulse portal was launched, where businesses can leave authorized feedback. More than 140 responses have been collected, which helped identify three main business problems:
- rising costs
- inspections by regulatory authorities;
- tax invoice refunds.
By the end of 2025, the company plans to integrate Pulse into government online services, launch a dashboard for IAAs, and increase the number of requests to 1,000 per month.
Analytical dashboard – 7/10
An analytical module of the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations was created that visualizes data from prosecutors and courts on criminal offenses in the field of economic and investment activity.
“The dashboard opens the way to further digitalization of processes within the prosecutor’s office and the civil service in general, reduction of the “human” (subjective) factor and the use of technology. Decisions will be made on the basis of data analysis, eventually – as much as possible automated,”
– explains Horokhovsky.
The next steps will include launching an updated version of the dashboard, working with the Ministry of Justice, the National Police and the courts to digitalize data, and developing terms of reference for an impersonal risk management system.
Simplification of land procedures – 6/10
Following the Council’s consultations, amendments were made to the draft law No. 9627 on attracting investments for the rapid reconstruction of Ukraine. The key changes include protection of the rights of bona fide purchasers/owners of land, personal liability of officials for violations in land allocation, and simplification of the mechanism for obtaining permits. The law has passed the first reading in the Verkhovna Rada and is expected to be finally adopted in February 2025.
Support for miltech companies – 10/10
In February 2024, the Verkhovna Rada adopted an updated law “On Defense Procurement” with amendments to regulate the profits of manufacturers in the security and defense sector. The amendments made it possible to cancel hundreds of criminal cases against manufacturers working for the defense industry and took them out of the “gray zone” for the SASU. Now, miltech companies can legally earn profits to fulfill contracts and develop.
Overall assessment
The overall self-assessment of the Council’s work for the year amounted to 51 points out of 80 possible (63.75%).
“Our global goal for the next year, as in the past, is to complete the tasks that were formulated at the beginning of the Council’s activity… It is clear that we could do more. But we want to complete these tracks first. It is easy to launch something new. Bringing it to the end is what we should do, and show it to the state administration by example,”
– emphasizes Gorokhovsky.
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