Five things to know regarding the Lugano conference on Ukraine
Planned long before Russia decided to invade Ukrainian territory, the Lugano conference on Ukraine was initially to discuss reforms in the country, before being reoriented towards reconstruction. Allies of Ukraine, international institutions and the private sector will meet on Monday and Tuesday in Switzerland with the aim of sketching out a « plan Marshall ». Here are five things to know regarding the Lugano conference on July 4-5.
- From reforms to reconstruction
The Lugano conference had been planned long before the war to talk regarding reform and the fight once morest corruption, but the Russian invasion, which began on February 24, made the meeting a forum to discuss reconstruction from Ukraine.
It must give Kyiv, which urgently needs financing, the opportunity to share its recovery plan and discuss with all stakeholders how best to meet the challenges ahead.
“Lugano will be one of the first, if not the first platform for discussing the reconstruction of Ukraine, concrete steps and a plan”, explained Artem Rybchenko, Ambassador of Ukraine to Switzerland. The conference should conclude with a joint declaration which should set out the “priorities, method and principles” of this Ukrainian recovery.
The Swiss hosts had hoped to be able to welcome the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, in person, but because of the conflict it is the Prime Minister, Denys Chmyhal, who will lead the largest delegation to leave the country since the start of the war, who will include six ministers, parliamentarians and regional officials.
“President Zelensky was involved in the preparation from the start”, underlined the ambassador. He will make an online intervention, as he has become accustomed to.
In total, there will be eight heads of government, 15 ministers and 38 countries represented as well as 14 organisations, 350 representatives from the private sector and 210 from civil society.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has confirmed her attendance, as have the heads of government of Lithuania, Poland and the Czech Republic.
The President of the Swiss Confederation, Ignazio Cassis – who is also in charge of foreign affairs – has great ambitions for the conference.
She aspires to draw the outlines of the reconstruction strategy inspired by the Marshall Plan, an American initiative which had made it possible to rebuild a Europe devastated by the Second World War.
But Lugano will not be a donors’ conference. “This is a conference during which we will discuss how we want to launch this process” recovery, underlined the special ambassador in charge of the conference, Simon Pidoux. He sees it as a compass.
Rebuilding the country will take many years and cost hundreds of billions of dollars. It will be for the participants to examine the proposals and offers of contributions.
- Corruption, digital democracy
Ukraine will also face demands for far-reaching reforms, particularly in the fight once morest corruption. The former Soviet state has long been ranked among the most corrupt countries in the world by the NGO Transparency International.
In Europe, only Russia and Azerbaijan rank less well and, given the sums that will be at stake, the subject is important. The President of the Confederation spoke of a commitment to monitor financial flows.
President Volodymyr Zelensky will present his vision of a “smart recovery” at the conference, including plans to rebuild Ukraine into a fully digital democracy.
The picturesque city of Lugano, which has the air of an Italian Mediterranean city with its palm trees, its arcades and its piazza, is located on the edge of the lake of the same name, nestled at the bottom of a spectacular mountain cirque. A stone’s throw from the Italian border, it is one of the three major financial centers of Switzerland but also a place of vacation and rest. It is very popular with rich and famous Russians, including Alina Kabaeva, who is credited with a long affair with the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin.
Swiss and regional authorities said strict security measures would be put in place: airspace restrictions and the presence of hundreds of military personnel to help regional law enforcement. The head of the regional government of Ticino, Norman Gobbi, expressed his optimism regarding the success of the conference. “It is our small contribution to European security, and therefore ours”he said.
