Today, Ukraine's First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, Yulia Svyrydenko, and the Delegate of the Swiss Federal Council for Ukraine, Ambassador Jacques Herber, signed an Agreement on Changes to the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).
This document formalizes the decision of the Swiss Confederation to increase support for the Ukrainian Reconstruction Project Contest. Swiss companies that are already operating in Ukraine and can assist with the country’s reconstruction are participating in the contest. According to both parties, the business interest has been so high that the funding was decided to be doubled — from 50 million to 100 million francs.
The signed agreement opens up new opportunities for the implementation of joint projects under the intergovernmental initiative launched in early 2025. The 100 million francs allocated are part of a broader Swiss assistance program to Ukraine, totaling 1.5 billion francs for the years 2025–2028. Overall, Switzerland plans to invest 5 billion francs into a 12-year support program.
“The high interest from Swiss businesses is a clear signal: our intergovernmental agreements are working. The additional 50 million francs will be directed to projects in areas such as civilian protection, infrastructure reconstruction, development of the municipal sector, and modernization of public services. We are particularly interested in expanding cooperation in energy, transport, housing construction, water supply, healthcare, industrial machinery, and education,” said First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, Yulia Svyrydenko.
Ambassador Jacques Herber emphasized that the decision to increase funding was a result of close and trusting cooperation between Ukraine and Switzerland.
“Last week I visited Chernihiv, and last year I saw the scale of the destruction in Kharkiv. Ukraine’s needs for reconstruction are enormous. At the same time, Swiss companies continue to operate in Ukraine despite all the challenges. They create jobs and pay taxes to the Ukrainian state budget. They also aim to contribute to the country’s reconstruction. By increasing funding for this initiative to 100 million Swiss francs, we are helping to combine Swiss expertise with the real needs on the ground, thus supporting Ukraine’s recovery process,” noted the Delegate of the Swiss Federal Council for Ukraine, Ambassador Jacques Herber.
The signing of the agreement is an important step in the development of bilateral economic relations between Ukraine and Switzerland, creating new opportunities for attracting investments into priority sectors of the Ukrainian economy.
Reference:
The Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs regarding the implementation of the Economic Reconstruction and Reconstruction Project Contest in cooperation with Swiss companies was signed on January 23, 2025, during the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Switzerland is one of Ukraine's key partners in the reconstruction process. In April 2024, the Swiss government announced a long-term support program for Ukraine totaling 5 billion francs over 12 years.
