Statement on the situation in Ukraine

The escalating situation in Ukraine, the upcoming sanctions against Russia and possible retaliatory measures may of course have a significant negative impact on Czech companies. Not only domestic companies doing business in Eastern Europe or exporting their goods there may be affected. Companies which, for example, depend on imports of raw materials from the region or are suppliers to companies which trade in the region may also have problems. However, it is essential to respond to aggression and violations of international law, and the Czech Government has our full support in this. At the same time, we believe that when choosing retaliatory measures, the government will also take into account the impact on the domestic economy (which is already facing a sharp increase in energy prices), will also pay attention to the affected companies and help minimise the impact of the conflict on their business.

At the same time, we believe that the Czech Republic should be open to people who decide to leave Ukraine. The Confederation of Industry hereby offers to help the government to integrate them into the Czech labour market, which is lacking over 300,000 workers. Many people in Ukraine are facing an extremely difficult situation; they are culturally and geographically close to us and it would be a denial of our values if we turned our backs on them.

The introduction of sanctions may affect, for example, exporters in the engineering, energy, food and automotive industries. Russia's counter-measures would then affect, in particular, those who buy oil, natural gas, metals and chemical products in Russia. Both sides should avoid using energy, particularly Russian gas, as a political tool, as this would lead to a further deterioration of the energy market in Europe, as we are already facing unprecedented price rises. The EU should continue to support Ukraine, including by strengthening trade and investment ties.
We are ready to actively engage with the relevant authorities, in particular the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The Confederation of Industry has already called on the Government to automatically extend the validity of existing work visas, to allow for fast-track procedures for the arrival of family members and to ensure the full functionality and capacity of the embassy in Ukraine in processing entry into the country.

We want to help create conditions so that the negative impact on the operation of companies and the labour market is minimal. At the same time, this situation is an opportunity for us to open a discussion on the employment of foreigners, not only because of the current Russian-Ukrainian crisis. At the moment, the process of hiring foreign workers is administratively difficult and time-consuming. It does not correspond to the needs of the labour market and, due to the lack of digitalisation in the process, it does not correspond to technological possibilities.