As Ukraine continues to defend its territory against Russia’s war of attrition, the question of how to rebuild the country in a way that ensures long-term stability and resilience remains at the forefront of international discussions. Earlier this February, the symposium ‘Ukraine recovery: Building back better?’ brought together experts from across Europe and a wide spectrum of institutions to explore the challenges and opportunities of Ukraine’s recovery process. We asked some of them to give us a peek into how reconstruction works on the ground and what steps are next.
Supported by allies in Europe and North America, recovery efforts have become central to Ukraine’s defence strategy. The rebuilding of damaged infrastructure, attracting foreign investment to prevent economic collapse, and a wealth of bilateral projects aimed at sectors such as energy, climate protection, healthcare, education, and social care have capitalised on both the opportunities for change and the resilience required for recovery.
Looking ahead, Simone Tholens, the event’s co-organiser and Part-time Assistant Professor at EUI, said: “Ukraine and Europe find themselves in a watershed moment. Whichever way this war will end, reconstruction will be hugely transformative for Ukrainian society, and Europe needs to make sure it commits to getting it done, but also that it gets it right. Supporting researchers to monitor and document the deep changes produced by recovery financing should be a priority for European policymakers.”
In a short interview, Dmytro Lyvch, Head of the Board and Executive Director of EasyBusiness, highlighted the crucial role of EU integration, which will allow for the “economic integration of Ukraine’s enterprises into the EU single market (…) and provide pro-democratic and pro-Western reforms.” Acknowledging that the war has affected different communities in different ways, both those at the frontline and those further away, Lyvch stressed the need to “prepare Ukraine’s regions in terms of project development capacity.”
Lesia Ogrysko, Member of the Board of RISE Ukraine, believes that “with its enormous potential—its people, civil society, and economy—Ukraine has every chance of becoming a success story in the 21st century, provided we address the elephant in the room: Ukraine’s security and defence.”
Yurii Buhai, Head of Analytics at the Reforms Support Office of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence, echoed this, stating: “The role of civil society will be crucial in any reform in general, but especially in defence.”
Similarly, Anna Kornyliuk from the Institute of Analytics and Advocacy in Ukraine emphasised the significance of strong local communities. She shared insights from her work in identifying the needs and challenges of these communities to attract funding and ensure its effective use.
Hosted by the EUI’s Robert Schuman Centre, the event aimed to review internationally supported recovery processes and contribute to discussions ahead of the Ukraine Recovery Conference, which will be hosted by Italy in the spring of 2025. Diplomats from Austria, Norway, and Italy also took part in the conversation. Expressing his government’s support, Christian Syse, Special Envoy for Ukraine at Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reassured participants that despite the ongoing military challenges, “many donor countries—whether on the military, civilian, or humanitarian side—stand firmly with Ukraine.”
Elisabeth Kornfield, Special Envoy for Ukraine Reconstruction and Director-General for Europe and Economic Affairs at Austria’s Ministry for European and International Affairs, underlined the long-standing ties between Austrian businesses and Ukraine and the urgency of recovery: “People are there, they have to work, children go to school.”
Emphasising the event’s broader significance, Erik Jones, Director of the Robert Schuman Centre, reflected: "We have a wonderful community of scholars from Ukraine who have been helping us better understand both the situation in Ukraine and the situation in Russia. This event marks the beginning of a new initiative on conflict and intervention, recognising that the world is becoming a more dangerous place. We must invest in making it better rather than following a path of ever-increasing violence."
This is an initiative of the EUI Robert Schuman Centre’s Global Governance Programme.
To find out what other participants shared with our team, watch the full playlist of short interviews.
To dive deeper into the topic, read the conference proceedings.