“The Reconstruction of Ukraine: A Strategic Role for Romania” is an international conference organized by New Strategy Center, and aims to debate multiple aspects related to the reconstruction process of Ukraine and the strategic role that Romania must play in this context. The conference brings together officials from Ukraine, Romania and other EU and NATO states, independent experts, representatives of the business environment, academia, and the diplomatic corps, being the largest conference in Romania dedicated to this topic.
The reconstruction process is the largest reconstruction project since World War II, surpassing in magnitude the Marshall Plan or similar projects in Iraq and Afghanistan. Ukraine is an important country, it has a considerable population, located on the borders of the European Union, thus benefiting from special attention. The reconstruction process has already begun, even as the war continues, and is expected to run parallel to the hostilities. The reconstruction must also be seen from the perspective of the modernization of Ukraine, this country trying to reduce the development gap with the West along with the reconstruction process. There are also a number of challenges in terms of determining the sources of funding, how the process itself will be carried out, including from the perspective of transparency of procedures and guarantees given to donors that the funds will be judiciously used, according to the assumed purposes. At the same time, the involvement of the private sector, especially in the conditions where there is an ongoing war, must be done through the strong support of the state, direct guarantees granted to private companies and ensuring their activity.