On 1 November, the Better Regulation Delivery Office (BRDO), supported by EU4Business FORBIZ project in Ukraine, presented its Platform for Effective Regulation (PRO) in Vinnytsya. Entrepreneurs, authorities and experts discussed the challenges facing Vinnytsya business, such as land allocation, connection to power grids, transfer of residential premises to non-residential premises, etc.
"There are three groups of factors that hinder the development of entrepreneurship: the weak work of the antimonopoly committee in the fight against natural monopolies. The position of Ukrainian companies in competition with foreign companies is not always strong. And also stereotypes in the minds of people. Someone buys a car, but has nothing to refuel, because gasoline is expensive. Why invest this money not in a car, but in a business?" said the head of the Vinnitsa Regional Administration, Valery Korovy.
Deputy Mayor of Vinnytsya, Vladislav Skalsky, added: "Trust is the most important thing that is lacking in cooperation between local government and business. Entrepreneurs pretend that they pay taxes, the authorities pretend that meet their obligations. It should not be so. The main problem for entrepreneurs is ineffective regulatory rules and inaccessibility of loans."
Together with BRDO experts, businesses analysed the regulatory situation for opening a business in seven sectors – ranging from energy service companies to restaurants – that are problematic or interesting for Vinnytsya and the region.
"Private initiative is a resource that drives the country's economy forward. A large company will hire a consulting company, order a marketing research. But a small business with entrepreneurial skills usually does not have the resources. The platform www.regulation.gov.ua - this is a real consulting, step by step instruction, on how to open a restaurant here in Vinnytsya, open a kindergarten or taxi service,” said the chairman of the State Regulatory Service, Ksenia Lyapina.
The PRO Platform contains step-by-step instructions for opening your own business, procedures for obtaining permits, instructions for registering a cash register, calculating regulatory costs, etc. From now on, entrepreneurs do not need to spend time searching for the necessary information in google or in local government offices. Just answer a few questions on the PRO platform and it provides you with a check-list of the necessary steps: which documents to collect, how long each procedure takes, where to apply, etc.
"Ukraine has almost no simple decisions. Each solution is a balance of interests, each decision must be prepared, thought out and effective. In order for Ukraine to have a chance and implement it, you need to be pragmatic, look at two steps forward, everything should be online for everyone," Alexey Goncharuk, the chair of BRDO, said.
Funded by the European Union under the EU4Business initiative, the FORBIZ project supports Ukraine’s reform agenda and its economic recovery by proposing a systemic, smart change to a more business-friendly environment with a particular focus on SMEs. The project seeks to steer a shift in policy towards greater recognition of SMEs and the vital role they play in economic recovery, while addressing the challenge of reducing regulatory burden and lessening risk for businesses.