The Annual General Meeting of the Finland-Central Eastern European Countries Trade Association was held on 26th May 2015 in Helsinki. After the meeting Ms Kerstin Kronvall, correspondent of the Finnish broad casting company YLE in Ukraine, addressed the meeting.

Ukraine’s financial crisis has caused a lot of concern. Corruption is a widespread and growing problem in Ukrainian society. Bureaucracy is also a trade obstacle for many companies. Despite of problems Ukraine will provide significant business opportunities for Finnish companies when the situation in Ukraine will calm down.

Antonov Serial Production Plant is one of the biggest factories in Ukraine employing 13 500 people. Aircrafts are handmade. Konecranes, one of the Finnish companies in Ukraine, has its factory in Zaporozhyes, not far away from the Donetsk region. Risks have increased since the crisis began, but the crisis has also had positive consequences. When the Crimean ports are no longer used by Ukrainians, new ports will be opened and new cranes needed.