General Assembly & Networking Event 2025

On 11 June 2025, the Norwegian-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce (NUCC) hosted its annual General Assembly and Networking Event, bringing together over 100 participants both online and in person. The event once again proved to be a key meeting point for members, partners, and stakeholders committed to advancing Norwegian-Ukrainian business cooperation.

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General Assembly Highlights

The day began with NUCC’s General Assembly, open exclusively to members.

The closed member session started at 15:00 with formal proceedings:

• Approval of the 2024 Annual Report and Accounts
• Board elections and presentation of new board members
• Updates from the NUCC International Trade Committee
• Presentation by the Young Entrepreneurs Alumni Board

Kjartan Tveitnes, NUCC’s Managing Director, presented the organisation’s main achievements from the past years. These included:

• 209 B2B facilitation assignments (exceeding target by 23%)
• 85 business arenas created (exceeding target by 18%)
• Significant activity within the Norad-supported Good Corporate Governance project
• Strategic work supporting bilateral trade, delegations, and commercial media outreach

The Compliance Committee confirmed that there were no issues requiring board involvement or changes to NUCC's compliance framework.

Presentation from the YE Alumni Board (2023–2025) showcased the growing engagement and structure of the YE community, which now includes over 180 alumni from 10 program years. Their initiatives and alumni meet-ups underline NUCC’s commitment to building a global, engaged network of emerging business leaders.

Public Program and Networking

At 16:00, the public session opened with a welcome speech by NUCC Board Chair Ketil Bøe, followed by strong opening messages from:

• H.E. Oleksiy Gavrysh, Ambassador of Ukraine to Norway
  
• Vegard Wennesland, Norwegian Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry

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A presentation by Simen Berger Øby of Norfund highlighted Ukraine as an emerging European growth market. He detailed Norfund’s investment mandate and pipeline for Ukraine, with an estimated 500 MNOK in annual investments and strong interest in:

• Renewable energy
• Sustainable infrastructure
• Growth-stage businesses with export potential

Norfund also emphasized their willingness to co-invest with Norwegian businesses and act as an active owner.

Panel Discussion

This was followed by a panel discussion featuring Norwegian companies currently active in Ukraine, who shared practical insights on operating in the Ukrainian market under challenging conditions. The Ukrainian–Norwegian Business Hub also contributed with updates on capacity building and supporting local entrepreneurship.

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Trade and Investment Context

Kjartan Tveitnes also presented an updated Norwegian-Ukrainian trade overview, showing:

• A 69% increase in bilateral trade since 2022
  
• Total exports from Norway to Ukraine at 2.1 BNOK
  
• The Norwegian Government’s “financial toolbox” for Ukraine now exceeding 85 BNOK for 2025, including:
  
  
  • Norfund investment mandate (250 MNOK/year)
    
  • Export Finance Norway’s Ukraine fund (630 MNOK)
    
  • NORAD support (60 MNOK in 2025)
    
  • Innovation Norway and EEA Grants mechanisms
    

The modernised Ukraine–EFTA Free Trade Agreement, signed in April 2025, was also mentioned, expected to further stimulate trade by 2027.

Informal Networking

The event concluded with an informal networking session with refreshments and ukrainian wine, giving participants space to build connections and explore partnerships across sectors.

Let’s Keep the Momentum Going

We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us and contributed to the atmosphere of collaboration, resilience, and forward-looking dialogue.

Let’s continue to build partnerships that matter.

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Photo credit: Sten Edvard Eriksen