<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, announced this Wednesday in Rome, on the occasion of the fourth Ukraine Reconstruction Conference (URC), that Spain will open a new Office for the Reconstruction of Ukraine in Madrid.</strong></h4> “From the perspective of reconstruction, the Government of Spain, and the Spanish economy as a whole, has very cutting-edge companies that can assist in this reconstruction on all fronts,” Sánchez stated in his speech to the leaders and representatives of 24 states (including the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen), as well as international organizations and private companies, who attended the meeting. Therefore, the President of the Spanish Government announced “the creation of an Office for the Reconstruction of Ukraine, reporting to the Ministry of Economy of the Government of Spain.” According to Moncloa, this Office for the Reconstruction of Ukraine in Madrid will serve as a one-stop shop for Spanish companies interested in developing projects on the ground, in addition to strengthening coordination on cooperation and aid with European and multilateral institutions, such as multilateral development banks. It will report to the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Business and will work in close contact with the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and the various Ukrainian ministerial offices. The purpose of this office is to advise Spanish companies seeking to invest or participate in tenders for the reconstruction of Ukraine, channel the government's trade and investment instruments, identify tender or investment opportunities for the reconstruction of Ukraine with international financial institutions, coordinate Spanish aid, and organize missions of companies or public institutions to Ukraine. Likewise, Pedro Sánchez announced the holding of a new meeting of the bilateral Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Economic and Industrial Cooperation between Spain and Ukraine in Madrid "before the end of the year" (the second meeting of this joint body, following the one held last year in Kyiv). This meeting will coincide with the holding, also in the Spanish capital, of "a business meeting so that companies interested in contributing to the reconstruction of Ukraine, both present and future, can deploy in the country and learn about the opportunities they may have" in that country. "Spanish companies are at the forefront in sectors such as health, energy, water management, railway infrastructure, agriculture, food, digitalization, and defense," Pedro Sánchez stated. Therefore, he added, the participation of these companies in the reconstruction of Ukraine "will strengthen our bilateral relations and contribute to European stability and security." The Prime Minister also emphasized that Spain's support for Ukraine has been "firm and continuous" and has included military support worth €2.82 billion, €110 million in humanitarian aid, and €845 million in financial assistance. He also noted that Spain has hosted the fourth largest community of displaced Ukrainians in the European Union, comprising more than 245,000 people. The La Nuvola Convention Center in Rome is hosting the Ukraine Reconstruction Conference starting this Wednesday, organized jointly by Italy and Ukraine and with the participation of governments, parliaments, international organizations, businesses, local communities, and civil society. This is the fourth edition of the series of high-level annual conferences launched by the international community since the Russian invasion in 2022 to support Ukraine's rapid recovery and long-term reconstruction, following those held in Lugano (2022), London (2023), and Berlin (2024). On this occasion, participants discussed new ways to strengthen international support and continue mobilizing investment for Ukraine's reconstruction, reform, and modernization, including the provision of emergency assistance, the implementation of rapid recovery projects, and the creation of attractive conditions to facilitate private sector investment and civil society participation.
