Vadym Chaharovskyi, Head of the Union of Dairy Enterprises of Ukraine (UDEU), took part in a meeting between the business community and representatives of the Office of the Prosecutor General and law enforcement agencies. He raised an issue central to the dairy industry: the shadow market, which creates unfair competition, deprives the budget of tax revenue and puts legitimate producers at a disadvantage, the Union of Dairy Enterprises of Ukraine reports.
Key points:
- UDEU stresses that legitimate business must not lose out to those operating in the shadows;
- de-shadowing the market must go hand in hand with real protection of law-abiding businesses from unlawful pressure;
- the participants agreed to set up a working group and jointly develop solutions to protect business.
UDEU’s position
UDEU’s position is firm: legitimate business must not lose out to those operating in the shadows. De-shadowing the market must be accompanied by real protection of law-abiding entrepreneurs from unlawful administrative and law enforcement pressure.
At the meeting, Raisa Mykhailova, CEO of Favor, described a case of administrative pressure on her company and the support provided by the Union of Dairy Enterprises of Ukraine in defending its legitimate interests.
What was discussed
Other issues discussed included:
- stronger guarantees of protection for businesses during criminal proceedings;
- transparent statistics on searches and seizures of property and accounts;
- preventing criminal proceedings from being used as a tool to pressure entrepreneurs;
- practical mechanisms for de-shadowing the economy.
Following the meeting, the participants agreed to continue working on the issues raised, set up a working group and jointly develop solutions to protect business.
As Vadym Chaharovskyi stressed, the state must create conditions in which operating legally is more profitable than staying in the shadows.
UDEU will continue to defend the interests of the dairy industry, equal competition rules and the right of law-abiding businesses to operate without unlawful pressure.
The Union thanked the Ukrainian Business Council, the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine, the European Business Association and the Office of the Prosecutor General for the open dialogue and readiness to work together.
Source: Union of Dairy Enterprises of Ukraine
