Ukrainian Institute for the Future -

Propozitsiya.com discussed with Volodymyr Shulmeyster the future of Ukraine and the main problems of its infrastructure development.

The state should create conditions, it should interest the potential investors. We have 2.5 thousand state-owned companies. Only by the example of the Ministry of Infrastructure I can say that in 2015 there were about 250 state-owned companies in its subordination, including “Ukrposhta” and “Ukrzaliznytsya”. Each of the 14 ports has its own state-owned company. We have to get away from this. The state should keep only one function – the regulatory one: to create conditions for business.

Our Institute models the future of Ukraine in the context of economy: if the country continues to develop in the same way as today, it will lead to default, degradation and loss of population. The Ukrainian population will fall by one half in 15 years. There is an acute shortage of qualified personnel in the regions already.

The central authority must create conditions for the best of the nation to return from immigration. As a person who has gone through two emigrations, I am sure that middle-aged Ukrainians who are abroad will be excited to return home. Their children though got accustomed abroad and now they cannot be taken into account. At the same time, representatives of the older generation who went abroad did not find themselves, only a few were professionally realized. Everyone looks with hope, they follow the news and are waiting for the opportunity to return to Ukraine. So these are the people with whom we can build something here.