TOWARDS CREATING REAL PROSPECTS FOR RESTORING THE ECONOMIC POTENTIAL OF THE KHERSON REGION

March 18, 2026

The latest extended meeting of the working group on the post-war restoration of the Kherson district of the Kherson region and the creation of industrial parks on its territory, which took place today, chaired by Acting Chairman of the Kherson District State Administration Mykhailo Zhadan and moderated by Volodymyr Makukha, Chairman of the Board of the Baltic-Black Sea Economic Forum (Baltic-Black Sea-Caspian Forum), began with the approval of the developed proposals for the concepts for the creation of three industrial parks in the Kherson district: “Dobrobut Agro”, “Kherson” and “SystemCenter”.

Based on the agreements signed during the previous meeting (February 5, 2026) in the memorandum of cooperation between Kherson District State (Military) Administration, Kherson City Military Administration, Baltic-Black Sea Economic Forum (Baltic-BS UA), and GKS UA Company which was subsequently joined by the Bilozerka United Territorial Community, in accordance with which the parties defined the basic tasks without which ensuring socio-economic stability in the current war conditions, preserving existing and restoring pre-war human potential, restoring the devastated economy of the Kherson region, and ensuring its sustainable development are impossible, the following matters of order were discussed.

In particular, the following memoranda were signed:

• between the Kherson District State (Military) Administration, represented by Acting Head Mykhailo Zhadan, and ICC Ukraine, represented by Vice President Oleksandr Ostrianyn.

The terms of the memorandum provide for cooperation in the preparation of territorial communities that are part of the Kherson District State (Military) Administration. District, with the assistance of ICC Ukraine projects for grant funding for work to restore damaged infrastructure and provide necessary utilities to land plots where industrial parks or industrial facilities are planned to be built. ICC Ukraine will assist in finding donors for grant funding for these projects, in accordance with the signed memorandum.

• Between the Bilozerka United Community, represented by Ihor Ostrivnyi, Head of the Bilozerka Village Military Administration, and GKS UA, represented by Viktor Popov, Honorary Consul of Lithuania in the Kherson Oblast and General Director.

The terms of the agreement provide for the combined efforts of the Parties to restore vineyards and build a modern wine and brandy production facility on the territory of the Bilozerka United Territorial Community.

• Between GKS UA, represented by Viktor Popov, Honorary Consul of Lithuania in the Kherson Oblast and General Director, and the Italian company TRECIEFFE, represented by Marco Crosato, General Manager and co-owner.

The terms of the agreement stipulate that the parties will jointly design and build a wine and brandy production plant.

In addition to the working group members, the following participants were actively involved in the meeting:

• Taras Vysotskyi – Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture;
• Andrii Pyvovarov – State Secretary of the Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture;
• Artur Melezhyk – Director of the Department of Industrial Parks and Investment Support of the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine;
• Tymur Liakh – First Secretary of the Embassy of Ukraine in Poland;
• Rafal Bartochowski – Second Secretary of the Embassy of Poland in Ukraine;
• Rovshan Huseynzade – Counsellor of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Ukraine;
• Oleksandr Kapustin – Embassy of Ukraine in Italy, Counsellor on Economic Issues;
• Eimantas Kiudulas – President of the Klaipeda Chamber of Commerce and Industry, General Director of the Klaipeda Free Economic Zone, Lithuania;
• Vitalijus Besakirskas – Vice Mayor of Visaginas, Lithuania;
• Oleksandr Ostrianyn – Vice President of ICC Ukraine, Member of the Governmental Committee of the Verkhovna Rada;
• Marco Crosato – General Manager of TRECIEFFE (Italy);
• Ivo Defranceschi – Co-owner of TRECIEFFE (Italy);
• Lado Uzunashvili – Representative of TRECIEFFE (Italy) for Eastern Europe and the Caucasus, Doctor of Science, International Winemaking Consultant of the Ukrainian-Italian Project for the Construction of a Wine and Brandy Production Plant in the Territory of Bilozerka Autonomous District, Kherson District, Kherson Region;
• Lasha Kldiashvili – Manager of the Ukrainian-Italian Project for the Construction of a Wine and Brandy Production Plant in the Territory of Bilozerka Autonomous District, Kherson District, Kherson Region;
• Algirdas Aušra – Director of the Lithuanian Foundation for the Support of Public Initiatives.

During his speech, Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture Taras Vysotskyi noted the significant progress in practical implementation, from the announcement of plans to create industrial parks in the Kherson region during the 7th Baltic-Black Sea Economic Forum in April 2025 to their practical implementation. Furthermore, Taras Vysotskyi emphasized to the meeting participants that a very important aspect of the work already accomplished is that this project has created a reliable foundation for uniting the potential of science, central and local government, Ukrainian business representatives, and their international partners.

Discussing the investment project for the construction of a modern wine and brandy production plant in the Bilozerka community, Marco Crosato and Ivo Defranceschi, directors and co-owners of the Italian company TRECIEFFE, which has been operating in this market for over 40 years, along with project managers Lado Uzunashvili and Lasha Kldiashvili, presented the project. At the same time, it was announced that negotiations had begun with the relevant Italian institutions regarding its financing with Italian government funds.

For his part, Oleksandr Kapustin, Economic Counselor at the Ukrainian Embassy in Italy, thanked the Italian partners for their confirmed readiness (including the signing of a memorandum) to directly participate in the construction and subsequent joint operation of a wine and brand production plant in the Kherson region, and expressed the Embassy’s readiness to facilitate these measures.

Organizational issues related to attracting Ukrainian and foreign companies to locate their enterprises in industrial parks, as well as the issue of direct management of the industrial parks, were also discussed.

Guided by a strategy of openness and transparency, the initiators of the industrial park project in the Kherson region announced that they are considering the option of establishing a management company as a consortium, with the participation of foreign partners, which would also include a supervisory board for additional oversight.

With many years of experience managing one of Lithuania’s largest free economic zones, Klaipėda, its CEO, Eimantas Kiudulas, who was also elected President of the Klaipėda Chamber of Commerce and Industry last year, expressed his willingness to join the process of forming an effective management company and facilitate communication with businesses in the areas planned for industrial parks in the Kherson region after the war.

Unlike the Klaipeda Free Economic Zone, which already boasts a long history and valuable experience, the Lithuanian city of Visaginas is still in the process of establishing itself and the necessary procedures. Vitalijus Besakirskas, Vice Mayor of this young Lithuanian city (it celebrated its 50th anniversary last year), shared this experience and reasonable expectations with the meeting participants.

Rovshan Huseynzade, Advisor to the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Ukraine, expressed willingness to assist in sharing experience and the adopted legislative standards for the functioning of industrial parks in the territory of liberated Karabakh.

Given the existing cooperation between businesses and organizations in Kherson and the Polish city of Gdynia, and the initiated process of concluding a twinning agreement between them, the feasibility of facilitating the development of the territory was discussed with the participation of Tymur Liakh, First Secretary of the Embassy of Ukraine in Poland, and Rafal Bartochowski, Second Secretary of the Embassy of Poland in Ukraine. The Kherson region, with the management of the Pomorskie Science and Technology Park in Gdynia and the Pomorskie Special Economic Zone.

P.S. The working group carries out its work without spending any budget funds.

The Baltic-Black Sea Economic Forum carries out its work without any funding, solely on a volunteer basis.