When Davide La Cecilia, Italy’s newly-appointed ambassador to Ukraine, came to Kyiv last fall, he soon got to know how fast the seasons turn here.
“Winter fell on us so soon,” he says, adding that “it was difficult.” However, the cold winter seems so far to be the only thing he does not love about Kyiv.
La Cecilia, 55, says he enjoys going for long walks with his two kids, especially in the Gryshko Botanical Garden, which is near their home. He says he is also impressed with Kyiv’s other parks, churches and squares.
“It’s a beautiful city,” he says. “And one of the greenest cities I’ve been to.”
The first word La Cecilia learned in Ukrainian was kava, which means coffee.
“It’s something that we Italians need a lot of,” he says, smiling. “And Ukraine has a great coffee culture.”
The ambassador also praised Ukrainian cuisine, saying that he has tried traditional dishes, like borscht and varenyky, and loved them. He says Italian food in Ukraine is also top notch, and not only in restaurants, because Kyiv’s supermarket chains stock lots of Italian products.
Promoting tourism
La Cecilia expects up to 40,000 Italian tourists to visit Ukraine this year, since Italian airlines resumed direct flights in early May. Flights had been halted since 2014 for commercial reasons.
Although he doesn’t mind promoting Ukraine among Italians, his main mission is to encourage Ukrainians to visit Italy, including lesser-known destinations. La Cecilia says his embassy issues about 70,000 visas to Ukrainians every year.
“We care personally that every application is reviewed correctly,” he says. “We want you to go to Italy.”
People row during the masquerade parade on Grand Canal during Venice Carnival on February 12, 2017 in Venice. (AFP / Marco Bertorello)
Now, with Ukraine’s visa-free travel regime with the European Union countries coming into force on June 11, even more Ukrainians will be able to enjoy trips to Italy.
“There was a lot of skepticism — a lot of people didn’t believe it would happen,” he says, adding that Italians supported the move. “Now we’re happy that it has actually happened.”
Another positive achievement of Ukraine that might help boost economic growth and attract foreign investors will be the final ratification of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU, La Cecilia says.
The upper chamber of the parliament of the Netherlands, the Senate, voted to ratify the agreement at a meeting on May 30. To complete the process, the Dutch government still has to formally ratify the agreement, which has already been approved by the other 27 nations of the EU.
“The challenge for Ukraine is now to make the most of the association agreement,” the Italian ambassador says.
Reforms needed
According to La Cecilia, about 300 Italian companies operate in Ukraine.
UniCredit, a global Italian banking group, sold Ukrsotsbank and left the market at the end of last year because of problems in Ukraine’s business environment, the ambassador says.
“This is why we insist that Ukraine improve the level of legality in business,” La Cecilia says, adding that the justice reform is crucial to building confidence among investors.
He says Ukraine also has to reform public administration, healthcare, and land market. The fight against corruption is also vital, as well as privatizing large state-owned enterprises.
“We see a lot of progress in terms of legislation, but we would like to see more progress in implementation,” La Cecilia says.
He adds that “Ukraine has made huge progress,” but mostly due to “the very strong civil society.”
Strong support
Italy, which holds the presidency of the G7 this year, fully supports the sovereignty and integrity of Ukraine, La Cecilia says. He believes there should be a diplomatic solution to Russia’s war in eastern Ukraine, saying that sanctions are “one of the instruments in this regard.”
“Italy is committed to international values and principles, and we will apply sanctions until there is a solution to the conflict,” he says.
But according to La Cecilia, the Italian government is concerned with the humanitarian situation in Ukraine’s war-torn Donbas.
Early in 2017, Italy transferred $1.25 million to the United Nations Children’s Fund as humanitarian assistance to Ukrainians affected by the war in the Donbas. Italy also has more than 20 monitors working for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Special Monitoring Mission in eastern Ukraine.
Apart from that, La Cecilia says, Italy supports Ukraine through its obligations to the International Monetary Fund and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Italy contributed $100 million for the construction of the New Safe Confinement, a massive, arched, steel structure to cover the ruined remains of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, the fourth reactor of which exploded in 1986.
The Italian company Cimolai Technology was involved in building part of the structure, which was moved into position over the destroyed reactor in November.
Easy collaboration
“Ukraine is the center of Europe, and the center of Europe is central to Europe,” La Cecilia says, explaining why Italy is interested in Ukraine. “It’s fundamental to Europe that Ukraine is a partner.”
The granting of visa-free travel, he says, is a signal that Europe is interested in furthering that partnership.
According to La Cecilia, Italians and Ukrainians collaborate easily, as they have many qualities in common: “We’re romantic and do things in an unconventional way, and we have the capacity to solve problems with a lot of flexibility.”
“When you come here, you feel at home. You don’t need time for adaptation.”
Italy at a glance
Total area: 301,230 square kilometers
Population: 59.9 million
Government type: Republic
Head of state: President Sergio Mattarella
Head of government: Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni
GDP: $1.895 trillion (2017 estimate)
GPD per capita: $30,891 (2017 estimate)
Main sectors of the economy: machinery, chemicals, food processing, textiles, tourism
Ukrainians in Italy: 240,000 (2016)
Italians in Ukraine: 420 (2001)
Ukraine-Italy relations
Trade: $3.28 billion
Exports from Ukraine to Italy: grain, ferrous metals, wood
Exports from Italy to Ukraine: nuclear reactors, machinery, mineral fuels, textile
Italian direct investment in Ukraine: $209 million
Sources: State Statistics Service in Ukraine, International Monetary Fund, Italian Embassy to Ukraine
