The Investors Council under the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine (Investors Council) chaired by the Prime Minister of Ukraine was set up in January 2007 as a consultative and advisory body under the Government of Ukraine. The Investors Council’s activity is governed by the respective Governmental Resolution. In March 2008 the Investors Council met to elaborate its operational framework thus resuming its regular activity.

The EBA along with some of its company-members, major investors in Ukraine, became participants of the Investors Council. At the meeting in March 2008 Serhiy Tihipko of Swedbank was appointed the Council Co-Chair on behalf of the business community.

The Investors’ Council comprises 13 Working Groups engaged with specific industries and economic sectors and co-chaired by respective state authorities. Here is the list of 13 Working Groups:

• agricultural development;
• banking and finance;
• justice;
• corporate governance;
• fuel and energy;
• infrastructure;
• intellectual property rights;
• informational technologies;
• health care;
• land and real estate;
• tax and customs policy;
• technical regulation;
• macroeconomic development.

The EBA co-chairs the Working Group on Justice under the Ministry of Justice and the Working Group on Tax and Customs Policy under the Ministry of Finance on behalf of the investors’ community.

The above-mentioned Working Groups outlined their action plans to be chiefly developing and promoting the EBA Investment Paper proposals.

Currently within the framework of these Working Groups the EBA closely collaborates with each Ministry and state authority and lobbies for a step-by-step settlement of various problems facing the EBA member companies.