Press Release: CILOS Announces Partnership with the Federation of Employers of Ukraine (FEU) to Advance Research on Trade, Tax Reform, Investment, and Ukraine’s Reconstruction

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Washington, D.C. / Kyiv | March 17, 2026

The Council on International Law, Order, and Security (CILOS) is pleased to announce its partnership with the Federation of Employers of Ukraine (FEU) on a research initiative focused on strengthening the policy foundations for Ukraine’s economic recovery, reconstruction, and long-term integration with Western markets and institutions. The partnership builds on formal agreements between the two institutions and a shared commitment to producing practical, policy-oriented research on trade, investment, legal reform, and economic cooperation.

Under the partnership, CILOS will undertake research and analytical work examining bilateral trade between Ukraine and the United States, the implementation status of the international and bilateral legal framework governing trade relations between the two countries, and recommendations to expand the volume and areas of trade and economic cooperation. This research initiative will also provide analytical assessments of current forms and mechanisms of U.S. economic support for the rebuilding and restoration of Ukraine.

The initiative also advances a broader line of inquiry pursued in cooperation between the two institutions: promoting European integration and attracting investment from the European Union and the United States through reform measures that strengthen Ukraine’s investment climate, economic competitiveness, and institutional credibility. In particular, the partnership will examine how legal and tax reform can support a more favorable business environment and facilitate greater foreign investment at a time when Ukraine’s reconstruction needs are both immediate and historic in scale.

The Federation of Employers of Ukraine is one of the country’s leading nationwide employer associations. The federation represents and protects the interests of business in Ukraine and internationally and includes among its members sectoral and regional employer organizations spanning key sectors of the Ukrainian economy. These include machine building, metallurgy, automotive, aerospace and defense industries, agriculture, chemical industry, IT, media, energy, medical and microbiological industries, construction, transport and infrastructure, retail and logistics, light and food industries, tourism, utilities, and the services sector.

CILOS, a Washington-based nonprofit research and advisory organization, works at the intersection of international law, international order, and international security. Through this partnership, CILOS will contribute its research capacity to questions that sit at the center of Ukraine’s recovery: how to deepen bilateral economic ties, how to make the legal and regulatory environment more conducive to investment, and how to align reconstruction-related policy choices with Ukraine’s broader European future. The project is intended to generate analysis that is not merely conceptual, but useful to policymakers, private-sector stakeholders, and international partners working to support Ukraine’s economic stabilization and recovery.

This partnership comes at a consequential moment. Ukraine’s defense of its sovereignty has unfolded alongside the urgent need to restore economic activity, rebuild damaged infrastructure, and create conditions for long-term growth. Reconstruction will depend not only on financial assistance, but also on the quality of the legal and policy architecture that shapes trade, investment, and business confidence. By jointly examining bilateral trade frameworks, market expansion, economic support mechanisms, and investment-oriented reform, CILOS and FEU aim to contribute to a more serious and actionable policy conversation on Ukraine’s recovery.

Commenting on the partnership, Omer Niazi, President of the Council on International Law Order and Security, said that “Ukraine’s reconstruction requires more than external assistance alone. It requires durable policy frameworks that can support trade expansion, improve investor confidence, and connect Ukraine more deeply to Euro-Atlantic economic structures. Our partnership with the Federation of Employers of Ukraine reflects a shared commitment to rigorous research that can help inform practical solutions for recovery, reconstruction, and long-term economic resilience."

The agreements between CILOS and FEU reflect a common view that Ukraine’s future will be shaped not only by the outcome of war, but also by the strength of the institutions and policies that govern its recovery. Bilateral trade, regulatory credibility, economic modernization, and investment promotion are not secondary matters; they are core pillars of national reconstruction. By bringing together FEU’s deep connection to Ukrainian employers and CILOS’s policy research expertise, this partnership is designed to support serious analysis at a time when Ukraine’s economic choices will carry lasting strategic weight.

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