More than 3,000 Polish companies have so far applied to take part in the post-war rebuilding of Ukraine, the Polish government envoy for Ukraine's reconstruction Paweł Kowal told news agency PAP on Saturday.
"They are not always big firms, but very agile and efficient ones, and they need project financing," Kowal said.
Kowal stated Polish firms are especially interested in Ukraine's energy sector and providing training services, noting that many applications have also been received from companies operating in the medical sector.
Poland is set to play a major role in Ukraine's reconstruction after the UN in September last year said it would establish a UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in Warsaw to support recovery efforts in Ukraine. Earlier this year, the establishment of UNOPS' subsidiary office in Poland's southeastern city of Rzeszów, some 100 km from the Ukrainian border, was announced.
"We're ready," Kowal said. "I assume the deadlines will be met and we'll be hosting UNOPS by the end of the year, but also that we'll start training for businesses so that they are ready to file specific applications for specific orders."
In February, the World Bank said that the total cost of reconstruction and recovery in Ukraine as of the end of 2023 stood at $486 billion over the next decade.
