Berlin Economics at the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2026
Berlin Economics participated in the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC) 2026, held in Gdańsk, Poland, and represented by our experts Robert Kirchner, Yiğit Tahmisoğlu and Garry Poluschkin. Bringing together more than 7,000 participants, the conference and its side events served as a key international platform for discussions on Ukraine’s recovery, reconstruction, and long-term economic resilience, with representatives from governments, international financial institutions, the private sector, and civil society.
Ahead of the URC, Yiğit Tahmisoğlu presented results of our study “From Production to Deployment: Strengthening Ukraine’s Electric Public Transport Value Chain” at the side event “Ukraine Recovery in Action: Connectivity, Infrastructure, and Investment”. The event was organised by European Business Association Ukraine (EBA). In his presentation, he outlined an empirical assessment of Ukraine’s value chain integration into the manufacturing of electric public transport. Afterwards, he took part in a panel discussion with Andriy Sadovyi, Mayor of Lviv, Vira Savchenko, CEO of BDO Ukraine, and Maryna Ignatenko, CFO of Scania Ukraine, with excellent moderation by Anna Derevyanko, Executive Director of EBA.
In parallel, Robert Kirchner and Garry Poluschkin contributed to the side event “German business in action – Insights on investment climate, resilience and procurement” organised by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. Garry Poluschkin presented key findings on the development of foreign direct investment in Ukraine, while Robert Kirchner moderated an interview with Oliver Gierlichs, President of the German-Ukrainian Chamber of Industry and Commerce and CEO/CFO of Bayer Ukraine focussing on Ukraine’s investment climate. Attended by more than 100 German business representatives, the event underscored the strong interest of German companies in supporting Ukraine’s economic reconstruction and long-term development.
As part of the URC programme, Robert Kirchner participated in a panel discussion organised by the Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW) on the topic “How to Better Connect Ukraine with Europe”. Together with Margus Tsahkna, Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Roman Nitsovych, Research Director at DiXi Group, and Konrad Popławski, Coordinator for Connectivity and Regional Integration at OSW, he discussed the opportunities and challenges of strengthening Ukraine’s economic integration with the European Union through enhanced connectivity.
The Ukraine Recovery Conference offered us a valuable platform, reflecting our long-standing commitment to supporting Ukraine’s economic development. Both URC and the preceding side event provided valuable opportunities to exchange views with partners and stakeholders, contribute our expertise to ongoing policy discussions, and strengthen existing cooperation.
A central theme throughout the conference was the importance of preparing Ukraine’s reconstruction already during the war, with a strong emphasis on the principle of “Build Back Better”. The high level of international participation demonstrated continued political and economic support for Ukraine, while the strong presence of businesses highlighted the private sector’s essential role in the country’s recovery. German companies, in particular, showed considerable interest in expanding cooperation with Ukrainian partners.
We would like to thank our partners, the organisers, and all participants for the valuable exchanges and look forward to continuing our contribution to Ukraine’s economic recovery and European integration.