On August 23, 2023, the day before Ukraine’s Independence Day, an important panel discussion took place at DISPO in Nidau, a town near Biel in Switzerland. The event was organized by Stefan Dörig, an energy expert and dedicated supporter of Ukraine, who gathered around 60 participants.
The program began at 7:00 PM with a greeting from the Deputy Ambassador of Ukraine. Benjamin Schenk, a professor of Eastern European Politics at the University of Basel, delivered a brief report and then led the panel discussion. Alongside him, the Deputy Ambassador, Andrea Zrid (National Advisor from the Swiss People’s Party), Krista Markwalder (former National Advisor from the FDP), and Margarita Antoni from the Swiss Ukrainian Association participated in the discussion. The event was moderated by Tobias Graden from Bieler Tagblatt.
The main topic of the discussion was whether Switzerland is doing enough for Ukraine. In addition to political and diplomatic aspects, economic ties between the two countries were also discussed. The Business Club of Ukrainian Entrepreneurs in Switzerland (BCUE) had the opportunity to present itself. As a board member of BCUE, I, Roman Oshger, took this opportunity to briefly introduce our organization on behalf of the club.
BCUE focuses particularly on supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and aims to foster trust and transparency. During the presentation, BCUE shared the challenges it faces, including customs clearance issues and the lack of trust between companies. Despite these difficulties, BCUE has made progress and is gradually paving new paths for economic cooperation. Our goal is to act as a bridge between Switzerland and Ukraine, continually strengthening the economic ties between our countries.
This event was a great opportunity to discuss not only support for Ukraine but also the important role organizations like BCUE play in strengthening mutual understanding and economic partnerships between our nations.
