A “Norway Desk” has been established in Lviv to facilitate cooperation between Norwegian and Ukrainian businesses: what the office will do
18 June 18:06
A Norway Desk—an office dedicated to attracting and supporting Norwegian businesses—will operate in Lviv; an agreement to establish it was signed during the Norwegian-Ukrainian Business Forum. This was announced by Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
“This is a new tool that will help Norwegian companies find partners in Ukraine and help Ukrainian businesses enter the Norwegian market. ‘Lviv has become a gateway to Ukraine for Norwegian businesses,’ the mayor quoted Vegard Grosli Vennesland, State Secretary of the Norwegian government, as saying.
Representatives of Norwegian businesses, government agencies, and investors met in Lviv. The new service will operate on a “one-stop shop” basis and will help Norwegian companies find partners, receive necessary consultations, learn about investment opportunities in Lviv, and implement joint projects.
“We view cooperation between Norwegian and Ukrainian companies as a true partnership. Ukraine today demonstrates a high level of innovation, flexibility, and resilience, and this experience is valuable to Norwegian businesses. We are pleased to be co-organizers of this forum and to help forge new ties between companies in our countries,” emphasized Thomas Egger Sørensen, Senior Vice President for Special Assignments at Innovation Norway.
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According to Vegard Grosli Vennesland, State Secretary at the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Fisheries, about 100 Norwegian companies traveled to Lviv to participate in the forum. This demonstrates the strong interest of Norwegian businesses in Ukraine and their understanding of the potential of our partnership.
“We see significant opportunities for cooperation in the fields of IT, reconstruction, healthcare, defense technologies, and innovation. For Norway, it is important not only to contribute to Ukraine’s recovery but also to build long-term, mutually beneficial economic relations. We can benefit each other. This is clearly a collaboration that works to the advantage of both sides,” says Vegard Grosli Vennesland.
City council officials note that the Norway Desk is intended to serve as a practical tool for attracting Norwegian investment and developing a long-term partnership between Lviv and Norway.
Sadovyi noted that the Norway Desk is already the second such office in Lviv. The first was the Japan Desk, which was opened to foster cooperation between Ukraine and Japan.
“It is important to us that an increasing number of international partners view Lviv not only as a safe place to work, but also as a gateway to Ukraine and a platform for new investments and cooperation,” the mayor noted.
As a reminder, on July 7, 2025, the Japan Desk Lviv—a municipal Japanese-language service office—was officially launched in Lviv. It will provide personalized support to Japanese companies in Lviv: from consulting on investment or starting a business to finding partners and providing a comprehensive overview of the local economic environment.
The signing of the memorandum took place during a visit to Lviv by a delegation from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, JETRO, and representatives of 10 Japanese companies. This was the first business mission of this scale from Japan to Lviv during the war, marking a new phase in the Ukrainian-Japanese economic partnership.
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