The president of the European employer's organisation BusinessEurope, Maciej Witucki, spoke at the Forum Europa in Brussels, expressing his conviction that Ukraine's potential integration into the European Union represents “a great opportunity” from an economic perspective as well.
Witucki made these remarks at the event organised by New Economy Forum in the EU capital, where he argued that the benefits of integrating the country into the “European family” go beyond defence.
“We have a strong interest in having Ukraine on board, first and foremost for security reasons, but also because of its energy sector and its resources”, said Witucki, who pointed out that, for example, it is a major wheat producer.
He therefore called for continued support for Ukraine in the face of the Russian invasion so that the conflict can end with a “fair agreement” for the country, enabling its subsequent reconstruction, also with European support.
As for the increase in defence spending that the EU’s support for Ukraine entails, he argued that such military efforts generate innovations which often end up being transferred to civil society and industry, and suggested that this might happen on this occasion with the development of drone technology.
Referring to the European Union’s international relations, Witucki highlighted the importance of trade agreements with the rest of the world, particularly with the United States and China.
Specifically, he warned that Europe cannot afford to miss out on the opportunities for cooperation and growth offered by these two major markets, although he noted that the relationship with China must be rebalanced by moving away from the stereotype that it is a country with low wages and a producer of basic goods, in order to break the pattern of recent decades. He also advocated for new models of engagement with countries such as India and Australia.
As for the opposition to trade agreements in sectors such as agriculture – as evidenced by the recent agreement with Mercosur – he argued that it must be borne in mind that the overall benefits they bring are far greater than the harm they may cause in certain sectors.
For all these reasons, he called on Europe to “take an optimistic view” of globalisation, enabling it to remain open to this type of trade agreement, which offers benefits for society as a whole.
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