KYIV. 29 March. UNN. The state's priority should be to protect domestic investors. Some developed countries consider it a matter of national security. Therefore, due to the weakness of the Ukrainian authorities in this matter, political, economic and media support is always on the side of foreign donors and investors who have more opportunities in Ukraine to protect themselves, as happened in the case of the distributor of Swedish trucks Scania and the Ukrainian company Zhuravlyna. This opinion was expressed by economic expert Viktor Medvid in a commentary to UNN.
Quote:
"Of course, the priority should be to protect the domestic investor, and in most countries abroad this is the case. They even have reservations about attracting foreign investors to various projects and starting a business. It is even difficult for foreign companies to purchase land or real estate. This is the case in many developed countries: The United States, Israel, and Japan. This is a matter of national security," the expert said.
READ MORE: Ukrainians have no place here: political analyst on the conflict between Swedish giant Scania and Ukrainian dealer Zhuravlyna
Details
Due to the lack of prioritization of state policy for domestic investors, most of them do not consider it necessary to invest their funds in further development of their business and creation of new jobs, says Viktor Medved.
"Unfortunately, we do not prioritize domestic investors. We have a situation where we support mainly foreign investments. This is due to the fact that our officials do not work well with domestic investors. They treat our investors like a cash cow. (...) And this certainly scares off domestic investors: they see no prospects for investment and today the vast majority of them are leaving the business and taking their money abroad. Our bureaucratic officials do not see any investment potential in domestic investors. That is why they develop basic proposals for foreign investors, although this is not very good," the economic expert emphasized.
This problem is illustrated by the conflict between Scania and the Ukrainian enterprise Zhuravlyna, when the Swedish investor received comprehensive political support, the expert noted.
"Due to the weakness of the government itself, which is focused on supporting foreign donors, the relevant groups, having strong lobbying capabilities (both through the embassy and through PR companies, grant organizations, and specialized associations), have significant economic, political, and media support. (...) Accordingly, international investors feel more protected here than domestic investors, and they are more free to appeal to the state authorities, and often this goes beyond the ethical framework," Viktor Medvid is sure.
Context.
A lawsuit is underway between Scania Ukraine, a distributor of Swedish trucks, and the Ukrainian company Zhuravlyna. During the trial, Scania Ukraine arranged a free test drive for MPs from the Servant of the People party, including the head of the Temporary Special Commission (TSC) on Investor Protection, Halyna Yanchenko, and Denys Maslov.
After visiting the distributor of Swedish trucks Scania Ukraine, MP and member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Legal Policy Denys Maslov soon said he was ready to visit the other side of the court conflict for the sake of impartiality. Separately, the owner of the Ukrainian company, Oleh Politylo, invited the head of the PIC, Halyna Yanchenko, to his company.
English 
Ukrainian 
Russian