As public opinion in Central and Eastern Europe shifts towards peace negotiations, businesses strategise for post-war investments in Ukraine’s reconstruction and EU integration.
President Donald Trump’s freeze on foreign aid has cast doubt over infrastructure and economic projects in Ukraine. The European Union is taking a different approach. The European Investment Bank (EIB) just announced nearly €1 billion in investments for Ukraine’s public and private sectors, signalling a shift toward business-led recovery.
This creates opportunities for Central and Eastern European (CEE) businesses. With their proximity and existing trade links, companies in Poland, Czechia and Slovakia are well placed to take part in reconstruction.
This text examines how Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Poland, Czechia and Slovakia view Ukraine’s reconstruction opportunities amid increasing public scepticism in the region.
Roch Dunin-Wąsowicz
Marcin Król Fellow
Dr Roch Dunin-Wąsowicz is a Marcin Król Fellow at Visegrad Insight and an Associate Professor of Sociology, Politics and Public Policy at the UCL Social Research Institute, University College London. He has a track record of academic evidence-based research in the field of sociology with a focus on civil society, migration and European integration. In the past, he studied the social organisation and civic identity of Polish migrants in the UK post-2004, the political mobilisation of Ukrainian migrants in Poland after Euromaidan, the social repercussions of Brexit in the UK, and grassroots civic activism across Europe. Dr Dunin-Wąsowicz’s academic training is in political sociology. He graduated from the New School for Social Research in New York City and obtained his PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science. His current research interests cover transnational entrepreneurs and businesses working towards civic end-goals in support of Ukraine, as well as how in the context of populism, social movements channel civic discontent, counter de-democratisation, and enhance democratic resilience in Europe.
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