20 May 2003

NATO-Ukraine meeting on economic security The adaptation and restructuring of the Ukrainian defence industry was at the centre of discussions at a NATO-Ukraine Joint Working Group on economic security, 20-21 May at NATO HQ. Participants discussed new trends in the funding of defence industry, as well as other issues such as strategic planning, budgeting, R&D financing, industrial cooperation and diversification. They also stressed the importance of planning and budgeting tools since these enable the state to establish defence budgets and follow their implementation with maximum transparency. The Ukrainian delegation was led by the First Secretary of State of the Ministry of Economy and European Integration, Mr Kaban, who underlined his country's willingness to be a defence contributor, as opposed to only a security consumer. Since the adaptation of defence industry is only one facet of defence reform, NATO's Defence Economics Directorate has also developed concrete projects in Ukraine for base conversion and the retraining of retired military personnel. Additional information: NATO-Ukraine partnership