In recent years, the Norwegian business showed quite low interest towards Ukraine. According to the Embassy of Ukraine, in the first half of 2010, the main goods exported from Ukraine to Norway were mainly represented with water vessels and transport equipment, ferrous metals, inorganic chemicals and wood, while Ukraine imported Norwegian fish and seafood, pharmaceutical products, nickel, electrical equipment and appliances. Norway took 32nd position of 124 investor states, putting up its capital in Ukrainian telecommunications (in 2010, Telenor Group closed its Ukrainian office), real estate, publishing, agriculture, manufacture of foods and beverages.

Today, however, our market caught a new interest of Norwegian businesses. Thus, in August this year, during the meeting with the leaders of professional associations of Norwegian seafood producers and exporters, Norwegian Minister of Fisheries Ms. Elisabeth Aspaker stated that the Government intends to support its fishing industry, affected by the Russian embargo on food supply, by simplifying exporters’ penetration to the Ukrainian market. In addition, the mass-media reported on finishing negotiations on establishment of bilateral Norwegian-Ukrainian commission for trade, business and economic cooperation.

However, the list of areas to expand Ukrainian-Norwegian partner ties is not limited to trade. Norwegians are ready to invest in Ukrainian business development in the sphere of innovative technologies, in improving energy efficiency of industrial production, in renewable energy development. Worth to note, that the Kherson CCI has been working with its Norwegian partner – Society of Chartered Technical and Scientific Professionals (Tekna), within the last two areas for many years. Since 2007, we have been jointly arranging training courses on Cleaner Production and Energy Efficiency for engineers and technical workers of industrial enterprises.

In this context, President of the Kherson CCI Viktoriya Ostroumova, and the KCCI employee responsible for Cleaner Production and Energy Efficiency program (CPEE) Hanna Syrchyna visited Oslo within September, 16-19 to meet Tekna project manager Mr. Bjorn Burgaas and the representative of Ostfold University College, CPEE program advisor Mr. Kamil Dursun. During the meeting attended by the CPEE program coordinator in Ukraine and Belarus Mrs. Elena Berstad and senior lecturer of the Program Mr. Leiv Bjerke, the parties discussed the current and future joint projects aimed at expanding efforts aimed at reducing the energy intensity of the national industry, attracting new Ukrainian and Norwegian projects participants. Ukraine is interested in cooperation with Norway in the field of developing new energy-saving technologies, as the Northern country has a valuable experience in this sphere and its support may become very helpful within adapting Ukrainian legislation to EU legislation and restoration of Eastern Ukrainian regions.

The schedule of visit to Oslo provided for joint participation of KCCI and Tekna representatives in a bilateral networking meeting on discussing the potential of Ukrainian renewable energy sector, arranged by the Norwegian Embassy in Ukraine and the Norwegian-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce (NUCC) in INTPOW headquarters on September, 17. The event was attended, besides, by managers of several major Norwegian enterprises and their structural divisions (Eastern Union Group, Norsk Energi and Wikborg, Rein & Co), Senior Investment Manager of Nordic Environment Finance Corporation (NEFCO) Mr. Amund Beitnes and Special Adviser to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, former Ambassador of Norway in Kiev Mr. Olav Berstad. One of the speakers, President of the Ukrainian Association of alternative fuels and renewable energy Mr. Vitaly Daviy offered a brief overview of the sector and emphasized the most promising areas of bilateral cooperation. Moderator of the meeting, Managing Director of INTPOW Ms. Line Amlund Hagen confirmed the interest of Norwegian businesses towards entering the Ukrainian energy market, as our countries already have positive cooperation examples from other areas.

The next day, on September, 18, the office of Wikborg Rein hosted another networking meeting on threats and possibilities for Norwegian-Ukrainian cooperation in the light of the recent situation in our country, arranged by the Norwegian-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce. Ukrainian participants of the event and representatives of both Ukrainian and Norwegian diplomatic corps described recent developments in Ukraine, in particular, in its Eastern regions. NUCC speakers described the state and prospects of bilateral business cooperation, stressing the significance of the efforts taken by the Government of Ukraine and aimed at carrying out the necessary economic and legal reforms in order to stabilize economic situation in the country, to strengthen its economic and trade relations and investment cooperation with partner countries. During the meeting, NUCC Project Manager Mr. Christen Mordan announced the visit of the Norwegian Prime Minister Ms. Erna Solberg. Visit of Ms. Solberg followed by a bilateral business forum will be held in Kiev in November and will become first in the history of our bilateral diplomatic relations.