Odesa Business and Authorities Discuss Security Challenges and Business Support Tools

16/ 03/ 2026

On March 13, 2026, a working meeting between representatives of the Odesa City Military Administration, the Odesa City Council, and the business community took place at the premises of the Odesa City Council. The event was initiated and organized by the South Ukrainian Office of the European Business Association in cooperation with the Association of Employers’ Organizations in Odesa Region and served as a platform for an open dialogue between the authorities and entrepreneurs on the key challenges of doing business under martial law. The meeting was attended by the Head of the Odesa City Military Administration Serhii Lysak; Acting Mayor of Odesa, Secretary of the Odesa City Council Ihor Koval; Chairman of the EBA Odesa Coordination Council and Chairman of the EBA Customs Committee in Kyiv Oleksandr Lazariev; Chairman of the Board of the Association of Employers’ Organizations in Odesa Region Kostiantyn Zhuravel, as well as representatives key departments of the city authorities and companies from the business community. Opening the event, Kateryna Morozova, Head of the EBA Odesa, emphasized the importance of a systematic dialogue between the authorities and business, especially for the Southern region of Ukraine, which continues to operate under challenging security conditions. According to the results of the annual survey conducted by the European Business Association among companies in the regions, the overall assessment of business conditions in the South has declined to the level of 2022 — 2.15 points out of 5. Compared to other regions where the EBA is represented, companies rank Odesa third after Lviv and Dnipro, and second to last before Kharkiv in terms of the difficulty of doing business. According to the survey, 75% of entrepreneurs consider business conditions in Odesa difficult, while nearly 80% state that the situation has worsened over the past year, particularly due to constant security risks and attacks on infrastructure. Only 40% of companies are operating at full capacity, while the majority continue to function with certain limitations. Among the main challenges for businesses remain staff shortages, mobilization, and difficulties with employee reservation procedures. At the same time, companies continue to operate, adapt, and invest in the digitalization of processes and expansion into new markets. In turn, the Head of the Odesa City Military Administration Serhii Lysak thanked business representatives for their resilience and for maintaining jobs during the full-scale war, emphasizing that entrepreneurs today effectively hold an important social front. He stressed the importance of maintaining regular open dialogue between the authorities and the business community and noted that the city administration will continue to develop cooperation with entrepreneurs, including through support mechanisms implemented at the municipal level. During the meeting, particular attention was paid to security issues and coordination in emergency situations. Participants discussed mechanisms for interaction between businesses and authorities, as well as tools for rapid response to threats. In this context, Valerii Shnurenko, Head of the EBA Corporate Security Working Group in Odesa, noted that during 2025 the Office organized a number of meetings between businesses and representatives of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, the State Emergency Service, the National Police, and military structures. These meetings allowed companies to receive up-to-date information on the security situation and develop practical solutions for stable business operations. He also emphasized that a similar dialogue has now been established with the leadership of the Odesa City Military Administration and the Odesa City Council. A separate part of the discussion was dedicated to economic support for businesses. Andrii Rozov, Director of the Department of Economic Development of the Odesa City Council, presented an updated list of 13 municipal support programs currently financed from the city budget, including: provision of repayable financial assistance up to UAH 3 million; partial compensation for damage assessment costs caused by the armed aggression of the Russian Federation; compensation for restoration of property damaged or destroyed due to hostilities, terrorist acts, or sabotage caused by Russia’s armed aggression; partial reimbursement of expenses for participation in exhibitions and trade fairs; compensation of product and service certification costs; reimbursement of commercial rent expenses for entrepreneurs who relocated and registered their business in Odesa; compensation for businesses operating “Points of Invincibility” for the purchase of generators; and other support initiatives. Oksana Evenko, Operations Director of Amadeus Marine, shared the company’s experience of participating in the city’s business support programs and receiving funding from the municipal budget. Participants also discussed opportunities to expand access to financial instruments, grant programs, and other support mechanisms for companies. Additionally, among the important topics discussed during the meeting, special attention was given to veteran support practices. Serhii Ivashchenko, Head of Public Relations, CSR and Sustainability at METRO Ukraine and Co-Chair of the EBA ESG Hub (Kyiv), together with Nadiia Savchenko, Founder of the recruiting agency Key People and Head of the EBA Odesa HR Hub, shared companies’ experience in supporting veterans. They discussed with Denys Bondar, Deputy Director of the Department for Veterans Affairs of the Odesa Military Administration, and other participants the key approaches to integrating veterans into business processes and developing veteran employment programs. At the end of the meeting, participants emphasized the importance of maintaining regular dialogue between the authorities and entrepreneurs in order to promptly address current issues and foster a favorable business environment even under martial law. The European Business Association expresses its gratitude to representatives of the Odesa City Military Administration and the Odesa City Council for their openness to constructive dialogue and their willingness to work together on solutions aimed at supporting entrepreneurship and strengthening the economic resilience of the region.

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On March 13, 2026, a working meeting between representatives of the Odesa City Military Administration, the Odesa City Council, and the business community took place at the premises of the Odesa City Council. The event was initiated and organized by the South Ukrainian Office of the European Business Association in cooperation with the Association of Employers’ Organizations in Odesa Region and served as a platform for an open dialogue between the authorities and entrepreneurs on the key challenges of doing business under martial law.

The meeting was attended by the Head of the Odesa City Military Administration Serhii Lysak; Acting Mayor of Odesa, Secretary of the Odesa City Council Ihor Koval; Chairman of the EBA Odesa Coordination Council and Chairman of the EBA Customs Committee in Kyiv Oleksandr Lazariev; Chairman of the Board of the Association of Employers’ Organizations in Odesa Region Kostiantyn Zhuravel, as well as representatives key departments of the city authorities and companies from the business community.

Opening the event, Kateryna Morozova, Head of the EBA Odesa, emphasized the importance of a systematic dialogue between the authorities and business, especially for the Southern region of Ukraine, which continues to operate under challenging security conditions. According to the results of the annual survey conducted by the European Business Association among companies in the regions, the overall assessment of business conditions in the South has declined to the level of 2022 — 2.15 points out of 5. Compared to other regions where the EBA is represented, companies rank Odesa third after Lviv and Dnipro, and second to last before Kharkiv in terms of the difficulty of doing business. According to the survey, 75% of entrepreneurs consider business conditions in Odesa difficult, while nearly 80% state that the situation has worsened over the past year, particularly due to constant security risks and attacks on infrastructure. Only 40% of companies are operating at full capacity, while the majority continue to function with certain limitations. Among the main challenges for businesses remain staff shortages, mobilization, and difficulties with employee reservation procedures. At the same time, companies continue to operate, adapt, and invest in the digitalization of processes and expansion into new markets.

In turn, the Head of the Odesa City Military Administration Serhii Lysak thanked business representatives for their resilience and for maintaining jobs during the full-scale war, emphasizing that entrepreneurs today effectively hold an important social front. He stressed the importance of maintaining regular open dialogue between the authorities and the business community and noted that the city administration will continue to develop cooperation with entrepreneurs, including through support mechanisms implemented at the municipal level.

During the meeting, particular attention was paid to security issues and coordination in emergency situations. Participants discussed mechanisms for interaction between businesses and authorities, as well as tools for rapid response to threats. In this context, Valerii Shnurenko, Head of the EBA Corporate Security Working Group in Odesa, noted that during 2025 the Office organized a number of meetings between businesses and representatives of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, the State Emergency Service, the National Police, and military structures. These meetings allowed companies to receive up-to-date information on the security situation and develop practical solutions for stable business operations. He also emphasized that a similar dialogue has now been established with the leadership of the Odesa City Military Administration and the Odesa City Council.

A separate part of the discussion was dedicated to economic support for businesses. Andrii Rozov, Director of the Department of Economic Development of the Odesa City Council, presented an updated list of 13 municipal support programs currently financed from the city budget, including:

provision of repayable financial assistance up to UAH 3 million;
partial compensation for damage assessment costs caused by the armed aggression of the Russian Federation;
compensation for restoration of property damaged or destroyed due to hostilities, terrorist acts, or sabotage caused by Russia’s armed aggression;
partial reimbursement of expenses for participation in exhibitions and trade fairs;
compensation of product and service certification costs;
reimbursement of commercial rent expenses for entrepreneurs who relocated and registered their business in Odesa;
compensation for businesses operating “Points of Invincibility” for the purchase of generators;
and other support initiatives.

Oksana Evenko, Operations Director of Amadeus Marine, shared the company’s experience of participating in the city’s business support programs and receiving funding from the municipal budget. Participants also discussed opportunities to expand access to financial instruments, grant programs, and other support mechanisms for companies.

Additionally, among the important topics discussed during the meeting, special attention was given to veteran support practices. Serhii Ivashchenko, Head of Public Relations, CSR and Sustainability at METRO Ukraine and Co-Chair of the EBA ESG Hub (Kyiv), together with Nadiia Savchenko, Founder of the recruiting agency Key People and Head of the EBA Odesa HR Hub, shared companies’ experience in supporting veterans. They discussed with Denys Bondar, Deputy Director of the Department for Veterans Affairs of the Odesa Military Administration, and other participants the key approaches to integrating veterans into business processes and developing veteran employment programs.

At the end of the meeting, participants emphasized the importance of maintaining regular dialogue between the authorities and entrepreneurs in order to promptly address current issues and foster a favorable business environment even under martial law.

The European Business Association expresses its gratitude to representatives of the Odesa City Military Administration and the Odesa City Council for their openness to constructive dialogue and their willingness to work together on solutions aimed at supporting entrepreneurship and strengthening the economic resilience of the region.