Transparent operating rules and fair competition are the foundation of business trust in the state

 “The foundation of economic security is a level playing field for everyone. Legitimate business must be a partner of the state, while the shadow sector must face the inevitability of responsibility,” emphasized Oleksandr Tsyvinskyi, Director of the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine, during a public discussion on the rule of law, investment climate, and the de-shadowing of the economy.

The discussion took place at the event “Roadmap on the Rule of Law: One Year After Adoption,” where Oleksandr Tsyvinskyi spoke as a panelist for the session “The Rule of Law as a Condition for Investment and Recovery.” The panel participants discussed business expectations, problematic issues in the area of the rule of law, and the tools required to shape a transparent investment environment and rebuild Ukraine's economy.

Together with him, the panel included Minister of Economy of Ukraine Oleksii Sobolev, Advisor to the President of Ukraine on Investments Oksana Markarova, Business Ombudsman Anka Feldhusen, Head of the Legal and Policy Advisory Team of the EU Project “Pravo-Justice” Artem Shainov, and Head of the “Enforcement of Court Decisions and Protection of Property Rights” Component Iryna Zharonkina.

In his speech, he noted that one of the key factors of trust in state institutions is a change in the philosophy of interaction with business. According to him, legitimate business must be a partner of the state, and the main task remains the creation of equal and fair conditions for all market participants.

“Those who work honestly and pay taxes should not lose the competition to those who engage in smuggling, sell goods without receipts, or manufacture counterfeit products. It is the fight against the shadow economy and the distortion of competition that forms the foundation of the state's economic security,” emphasized Oleksandr Tsyvinskyi.

He also emphasized the importance of implementing the provisions of the roadmap for reforms in the area of the rule of law and economic security. Among the key priorities, he named strengthening institutional independence, developing analytical capabilities, opening territorial departments, and establishing a sustainable and effective system of operations that will allow for systematic countering of the shadow economy and ensuring equal rules for all market participants.

Significant attention was paid to the development of the analytical component of the work. According to the ESBU director, it is analytics that currently determines where resources are concentrated and enables a systematic impact on shadow markets. He cited the volume of the economy successfully brought back from the shadow sector into the legal one as one of the key performance indicators, rather than the number of criminal proceedings or notices of suspicion.

Participants were also presented with examples of work in the fuel retail and electronics markets, where a combination of communication with business, analytical work, and law enforcement measures contributed to an increase in official budget revenues and the de-shadowing of specific sectors of the economy.