On May 21, 2026, a round table "Problems of Ukraine's Goods and Services Markets under Martial Law" was held at the State Institution "Institute of Economics and Forecasting of the NAS of Ukraine." The event for the third time brought together Ukrainian and foreign scientists, experts, and representatives of educational institutions to discuss how war, global instability, digital transformations, and European integration are changing Ukraine's economic environment.
The organizer of the event was the Department of Trade and Industrial Policy of the Institute of Economics and Forecasting of the NAS of Ukraine. Co-organizers were the Institute for Life, Environment and Climate Science (Poland) and the Ferenc Rákóczi II Transcarpathian Hungarian University.
The round table was moderated by the chief research fellow of the Institute of Economics and Forecasting of the NAS of Ukraine, Doctor of Economics Vitaliy Venger. At the beginning of the event, participants honored the memory of Doctor of Economics, Professor, Honored Economist of Ukraine Viktor Tochilin – one of the founders of the Institute of Economics and Forecasting and the scientific school of market research in Ukraine.
The academic secretary of the Economics Department of the NAS of Ukraine, director of the Institute of Economics and Forecasting, academician of the NAS of Ukraine Valeriy Heyets focused in his speech on the changing role of the market in the modern global economy. He emphasized that markets and global trade no longer perform the development-driving function they once had, and therefore industrial policy must receive a new mission – to compensate for market failures and help Ukraine form an effective recovery model.
The deputy director of the Institute, corresponding member of the NAS of Ukraine Serhiy Korablin, drew attention to global changes in the world economy: the strengthening role of China, new economic alliances, competition for strategic resources, and high-tech sectors. He stressed that Ukraine needs new solutions in economic, trade, and industrial policy, and that countries that have managed to combine security challenges with technological growth can serve as development benchmarks.
The first vice-president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Ukraine Mykhailo Nepran, addressing the participants, emphasized that the war has created unprecedented challenges for the Ukrainian economy and business. At the same time, he noted the resilience of Ukrainian enterprises and stressed the importance of cooperation between business and science to form solutions necessary for market stability, economic security, and the country's future recovery.
The international dimension of the discussion was presented by PhD Przemysław Osubka from the Polish Institute for Life, Environment and Climate Science. His report was dedicated to the restructuring of supply chains for strategic goods amid climate and geopolitical risks. The speaker emphasized that in the modern economy, supply security is increasingly becoming more important than the lowest price, and traditional global logistics models are yielding to nearshoring and friendshoring.
A separate block of the round table was devoted to financial markets. The head of the department at the Ferenc Rákóczi II Transcarpathian Hungarian University, Doctor of Economics Robert Bacho, analyzed the state of the non-bank financial services market in Ukraine under conditions of war and European integration. He noted the reduction in the number of non-bank institutions, the need for a war risk insurance system, strengthening cybersecurity, and adaptation to European regulatory standards. Senior research fellow at the Warsaw School of Economics, Candidate of Economics Lada Voloshchenko-Kholda, examined the risks of financialization in the defense sector and the new logic of attracting private capital to security sectors.
Participants paid significant attention to the digital economy. Leading research fellow of the Institute of Economics and Forecasting, Doctor of Economics Oleh Pustovoyt, analyzed the development of Ukraine's IT sector, its export potential, and at the same time the weak integration of digital products into the real economy sector. Senior research fellow, Candidate of Economics Vasyl Humeniuk, presented the concept of digital fairness in e-commerce, including issues of algorithmic non-discrimination, personal data protection, and transparency of digital platforms. Leading research fellow, Candidate of Economics Volodymyr Olefir, highlighted trends in the development of e-commerce in Ukraine and worldwide, while senior research fellows, Candidates of Economics Oleksandr Bykonya and Nataliya Romanovska, analyzed problems and prospects of Ukraine's integration into the EU digital market.
Issues of structural changes in the real economy sector were considered by Candidates of Economics Volodymyr Kulyk, Andriy Skrylnyk, Liliya Venger, Kateryna Sokoluk and Doctor of Economics Olha Yermakova. The discussion covered intersectoral links in the economy, local markets under war conditions, reforming corporate governance in energy, problems of agro-processing, and Ukraine's import dependence in the fish and fish products market. These presentations particularly emphasized that post-war recovery requires not piecemeal solutions but a systemic vision for the development of production, the domestic market, infrastructure, and food security.
Special attention was given to industrial and trade policy amid the fragmentation of global trade. Leading research fellow of the Institute of Economics and Forecasting, Doctor of Economics Oksana Kushnirenko, analyzed challenges for Ukrainian machine building against the backdrop of changes in US trade policy. Doctor of Economics Vitaliy Venger presented scenarios of the impact of US tariff policy on Ukrainian industry and stressed the importance of market diversification, development of trade diplomacy, management of critical materials, and increasing the technological complexity of Ukrainian products.
The round table demonstrated that research on goods and services markets today goes far beyond purely economic topics. It covers issues of security, digital rights, industrial resilience, European integration, food independence, and the state's ability to make decisions based on quality scientific analysis.
The event became a platform for a professional discussion on how Ukraine can not only adapt to the new economic reality but also use these changes to form a stronger, more technological, and more resilient economy.
Detailed information about the round table and participants' presentations is available on the website of the Institute of Economics and Forecasting of the NAS of Ukraine.
According to information from the Institute of Economics and Forecasting of the NAS of Ukraine
