Ukraine: Businesses strongly condemn Russian actions and offer a helping hand

The unprecedented Russian attack on Ukraine on the 24^th of February was a shock to the whole world. By invading the sovereign country of Ukraine, Russia clearly broke international rules and threatened global peace and stability. Businesses all over Europe strongly condemn the invasion that is currently underway and they are looking for ways to help Ukrainian people in these difficult times.

For the Czech Republic, the situation is extremely sensitive due to the historical experience with Russian invasions that paralysed the country several times. Therefore, Czech business associations and companies themselves are trying to help in any way possible to mitigate the impact on Ukrainian civilians and are prepared to help them.

Although many companies are still struggling with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the wave of solidarity has been huge. A significant number of companies have provided financial and material help. In addition to that, many companies have also helped in the form of accommodation offered to Ukrainians.

Apart from that, a large number of companies are able to employ Ukrainian refugees and help them with language and courses, which should speed up their integration into Czech society. A positive step in this context was the approval of a so-called Lex Ukraine consisting of three legislative acts that should help to employ Ukrainians in the Czech Republic. They allow Ukrainians to acquire the status of foreign citizen with permanent residence permit, allow them to access social security schemes, healthcare benefits, and also enter the labour market.

Apart from that, Ukrainian children gained access to the education system in the Czech Republic. The Russian invasion has also had a clear negative impact on Czech companies and citizens due to the steep rise in energy and fuel prices. Although this is a small burden compared to the burdens of Ukrainian people, Czech business call on European leaders to come up with a solution to mitigate the negative impact of these impacts on European businesses as soon as possible.