New business ombudsman appointed in Ukraine

From January 1, 2022, Roman Waschuk will hold the position of Business Ombudsman.

As the press service of the Ministry of Economy reports, on December 9, 2021, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine endorsed the decision of the Supervisory Board of the Business Ombudsman Council to elect a new business ombudsman. Roman Waschuk, Canadian diplomat, Ambassador of Canada to Ukraine in 2014-2019, will hold this position from January 1, 2022.

"The activities of the Business Ombudsman Council promote effective dialogue between business and government. Entrepreneurship development and the creation of favorable conditions for business remain key priorities for the Government. Congratulations to the newly appointed Business Ombudsman and we hope to continue fruitful cooperation with the Business Ombudsman Council to improve the business climate in Ukraine," said First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko.

Among the main tasks of the Business Ombudsman Council is to prepare proposals on state entrepreneurship policy for the government agencies, to provide recommendations for improving the work of such government agencies and bodies of local self-government to improve the conditions for doing business.

As noted, over the six years of its activity, the Business Ombudsman Council has considered about 10,000 complaints from companies about the abuse of government agencies and helped businesses recover more than UAH 19.5 billion.

As reported, the Business Ombudsman Council was established at the initiative of the Ministry of Economy in December 2014 to ensure effective systematic communication of business with government agencies and bodies of local self-government, as well as state-owned or subordinated enterprises. The Business Ombudsman Council e is a permanent advisory body of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.