Season’s Greetings from the EBA

Dear friends, colleagues, and partners!

2022 was a difficult year for all of us. Remembering February, at that time it was really hard to say if we stay afloat and resist.

But we managed. You managed. The whole country managed. Speaking about business, most of the companies went through that period and continue to work. Yes, it’s not easy. For some, even very challenging – due to a lack of capital, destructions, disruption of logistic chains, collapse (and sometimes even closure of the market – as with air transportation). But, in general, business continues to hold the economic front. And I thank everyone for your strength, courage, resilience, patriotism and unity.

Moreover, I am grateful that in such a difficult time you continue to support the country, look for ways to adapt, hold on (sometimes like a rooster from Borodyanka), continue to pay taxes whenever possible, use arguments and facts to convey the voice of business, explain the importance of certain changes for economic front. This year, by the way, we received even more individual requests from you than in previous years. And we together worked twice hard to find the justice. The regional offices of the EBAin Kharkiv, Dnipro, Odesa and Lviv, where we have 204 member companies, as well as the whole EBA team, worked 24/7 and continue to do so to support the business.  

Also, thanks for keeping share your needs and plans with us. Yes, this year we met much less due to the obvious reasons. Still, next year we will try to fix it and, I hope, will have more offline. Nevertheless, understanding the importance of global expansion for you, we also did not stand still and launched the Global Business for Ukraine initiative – to create a platform for global networking and mobilize global business around Ukraine.

Furthermore, I thank you for continuing to support your employees and Ukrainians in general in such a difficult time. Throughout the year our Management Development Center held educational events for you. And, by the way, there were almost twice as many participants as the previous year. Our Second Chance Bank project helped to find needs of the wartime together with you.

It’s really hard to imagine how difficult it was to keep on. But this year definitely made all of us stronger, even more adaptable and exactly showed who was a friend, partner, reliable shoulder, and who has never been one.

Therefore, making the most cherished wish for all of us under the Christmas tree – Victory of Ukraine – I sincerely want to wish you to spend Christmas and New Year’s days in a warm circle with family, relatives and friends.

I’m absolutely sure that we will win. Glory to Ukraine!

Anna Derevyanko, EBA Executive Director