Press release, 2 April 2025
An agreement between Manageritalia and the National Congress of Ukrainian Associations in Italy to support Ukraine’s development, in the hope of a swift end to the war.
Rome, 2/3 April 2025 – A Memorandum of Understanding was signed today between Manageritalia and the National Congress of Ukrainian Associations in Italy (CNAUI), bringing managers’ professional expertise to Ukraine’s recovery after three years of armed conflict. The Memorandum was signed by Marco Ballarè, President of Manageritalia, and Edoardo Pagnini, representative of the National Congress of Ukrainian Associations in Italy.
The partnership aims to strengthen ties between the two countries and to develop and carry out economic, educational, social and cultural projects that will contribute to the well-being of the population and to Ukraine’s economic and social revival.
Main activities
Manageritalia and its 14 associations are offering the professional expertise of more than 45,000 managers, who can take part in the Memorandum either individually or through their companies, making the initiative as practical and effective as possible.
All activities under the agreement are free of charge and have no commercial purpose. Any projects of a non-humanitarian nature will be carried out on the basis of ordinary economic relations.
The past two years have shown signs of economic recovery in Ukraine: after GDP fell by 23.3% in 2022 because of the full-scale invasion, the economy grew by 10.3% in 2023. In trade, Italy ranked 3rd among the destinations of Ukrainian exports in 2023 (5.6% of the total, €1.71 billion) and 6th among Ukraine’s suppliers (3.6%, €1.75 billion).
Since the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, numerous European projects and partnership initiatives between Italy and Ukraine have been launched, memoranda have been signed at governmental, ministerial, regional, local and corporate level, and hundreds of millions of euros have been invested in Ukraine’s recovery.
Edoardo Pagnini, Director of the Committee for International Cooperation of the National Congress of Ukrainian Associations in Italy and representative of the Ukrainian-Italian association LILEA APS in Florence, said:
“We approached Manageritalia about this agreement because the human, professional and organisational skills of managers and their companies can play an important part in Ukraine’s recovery. This synergy can give rise to cultural and economic projects of international significance that will benefit both Italy and war-torn Ukraine. Shared values and practical support are deeply appreciated by our Ukrainian partners at one of the most difficult times in their history. What we are doing today will matter greatly for future relations between the two countries.”
Marco Ballarè, President of Manageritalia, added:
“This agreement gives us the opportunity to bring the expertise of our members and their companies to help Ukraine today, and even more so once the war is over. Cultural and economic exchange has always been the foundation of peace and of the development of states and peoples. We expect this partnership also to support a recovery that brings moral and economic benefits to everyone.”
Manageritalia will launch a “Call to Action” among its members across Italy to develop:
- – business meetings and commercial partnerships,
- – investment opportunities and economic development,
- – institutional delegations and cultural exchange,
- – training programmes and exchanges of experience.
The work will begin immediately, and by the Ukraine Recovery Conference, to be held in Rome on 10–11 July, initial actions will already be under way and opportunities for cooperation created through solidarity and business initiatives for Ukraine’s recovery and future.
Read about the event
