"On the road to Lugano"

On 8 July 2021 in Vilnius, Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis accepted the presidency of the URC in preparation for the conference in 2022. In the coming year, a series of preparatory events under the banner 'On the road to Lugano' will take place in and outside Ukraine. The aim is to achieve progress that can be presented and discussed at the Lugano conference.

The conference will be preceded by two preparatory processes. One will take place in Ukraine and will allow progress on the reforms to be measured, while the other will take place in the capitals of the Ukraine's principal partner countries. Switzerland will be able to bring added value to the international preparatory process: in its work in Brussels as a bridge builder on Ukrainian issues, in its roles in Washington within the IMF and at the World Bank, and domestically thanks to International Geneva and its financial centre.

The 'On the road to Lugano' process was launched back in October when the head of the FDFA paid an official visit to Ukraine. And a podium discussion on 'Reforms for Investment in Ukraine' was set to take place at the WEF Annual Meeting in Davos in January. However, an online event was scheduled following the cancellation of the Annual Meeting.

In the coming months, events are due to be held in Kyiv, Brussels and Washington, as well as in Switzerland. Key topics are likely to include sustainable business practices, fighting corruption, corporate governance and digitalisation.