On the 10th December, 2008, in the frames of Guest Speakers Series, students on the IIB MBA programs met with Valeriy Pyatnitskiy, Deputy Minister of Ukrainian Economics, who spoke of the possibilities and problems for Ukrainian businessmen and entrepreneurs connected with the accession of Ukraine to the World Trade Organization.
According to Mr. Pyatnitskiy at present Ukrainian business does not really actively use the possibilities which membership in this prestigious international organization affords. Ukrainian importers and exporters co-operate in the acquisition of operating information, the Ukrainian Ministry of Economics has undertaken to create the Centre for Processing Enquiries of Member-States of the WTO. The fundamental task of the centre is to inform interested organizations and companies of the terms of trade, tariff policy, duties, and also to render assistance for the effective co-operation and operational exchange of information and documents with the WTO Secretariat and WTO members. The centre sheds light on the activities of the organs of state power concerning the preparation of official correspondence (notification) and provides answers to enquiries into active norms and the establishing of new rules in the field of international trade.
At present Kiev has already received more than two thousand notifications. Member-states of the WTO regularly send information about the opening of businesses to Ukraine and problems which the potential Ukrainian investor can encounter – importer or exporter.
Ukrainian participation in the notification system has a practical value in so much as it provides Ukrainian enterprises with access to information about future changes to the trading systems of other countries. The notification system enables the nurturing of a constant relationship between trading partners. It presents WTO member-states with the possibility of commenting on changes to the law or other operating acts planned by member-states before they are adopted, or attending discussions on the possibility of their amendment with plenipotentiary organs of the corresponding states.
Meetings between high-level state officials and MBA students are very useful in so far as there is a resultant exchange of opinions; participants obtain a lot of valuable information which assists in decision making in the management of a business and processes of a company.
