Credit: LUCC
The Luxembourg-Ukraine Chamber of Commerce (LUCC) recently announced three upcoming events: the "Bridges of Solidarity" Social Forum in mid-November, a Christmas Charity Reception networking fundraiser in December and the 3rd Ukraine Resilience Business Forum next March.
Chronicle.lu had the opportunity to speak with LUCC President Evgenia Paliy about the chamber and its event programme.
Chronicle.lu: How is the chamber staffed? Is everyone involved volunteering their spare time, or does it have some paid staff? How many people are involved in the chamber's operation?
Evgenia Paliy: The amount of work and projects have increased immensely within the last two years. It is very difficult to cover all the work with the volunteers. Last year, we could employ one person to assist with work, but this year we have four employees. We also have invaluable support from a group of volunteers, especially during the lead-up to events and on the event day, when extra hands on-site are essential. Additionally, I myself am the chamber's president in a voluntary capacity, dedicating my time and expertise to advancing our mission. This combination of dedicated staff and generous volunteers enables us to deliver impactful programmes and initiatives.
We are committed to building a team that shares our mission and values, and we look forward to continued growth with people who share our vision for Luxembourg-Ukraine relations. We have a real need for professionals and have several positions open - like press officer, fundraiser, sales manager, and would be happy to find great professionals to join our team.
Chronicle.lu: The three events require different components in planning, from identifying topics and inviting speakers, as well as finance/sponsorship and event management: how does the chamber approach these? Does it have different committees/groups for each event? Or maybe it has separate individuals / groups who are responsible for the same aspects across all events?
Evgenia Paliy: Indeed, with the growth of the team we would be happy to have separate committees and professionals in charge of the specific subjects, but unfortunately, being a very small team as of today, does not allow us to do this yet.
Our chamber takes a cohesive, team-based approach to planning and executing events, prioritising continuity and efficiency across all functions. Given the size of our core team, we do not have separate committees for each event. Instead, each team member has a dedicated role that spans all events, ensuring that expertise in areas like topic identification, speaker engagement, finance, sponsorship and logistics is consistently applied.
For topic selection and speaker invitations, we leverage our strong connections in both Luxembourg and Ukraine. Our Ukrainian background and partnerships provide us with unique insights into pressing topics, while our Luxembourgish network supports panel planning and frequently assists with sponsorship. We're fortunate to work closely with the chamber's members and partners who help shape event agendas, identifying themes that are not only timely but impactful. We welcome new partnerships and encourage companies and organisations to consider joining us as members or partners to make these events even more impactful. Our members and partners play an active role in organising panel discussions, and we also benefit from support from government ministries in Luxembourg and Ukraine, which is vital for securing prominent speakers.
Sponsorship and finance efforts are managed collaboratively, with the entire team involved in reaching out to potential sponsors and tailoring engagement to each event's focus. This unified approach enables us to align sponsorship opportunities with the specific objectives of each company, creating a cohesive and strategic funding plan.
Our flexible, collaborative model allows us to manage each component effectively and deliver well-organised, impactful events that drive our mission forward.
Chronicle.lu: The three announced events address three very different topics/issues: a social forum, a networking fundraiser and a business forum: please describe how you and the chamber have approached the selection and planning of these topics.
Evgenia Paliy: Each of these events was thoughtfully selected to highlight different yet complementary aspects of Luxembourg-Ukraine relations: social support, humanitarian assistance, and economic cooperation.
We approach each event with a tailored planning strategy, aligning themes and content to resonate with specific needs and target audiences. These events are [...] different but require the same amount of preparation and team involvement. We value collaboration with other associations, municipalities, corporates, and try to organise events jointly.
Our chamber collaborates closely with partners in both Luxembourg and Ukraine, incorporating feedback from past events and reinforcing partnerships to maximise each event's impact and outreach. By organising events across social and economic domains, we foster a holistic approach to Luxembourg-Ukraine cooperation, advancing meaningful progress in key sectors. For example, we highly appreciate the unique opportunity to partner up with NEXUS2050 to present Ukraine as a guest country and showcase Ukraine's robust startup ecosystem. Opportunities like these allow us to spotlight Ukraine at major events, and we are genuinely grateful for them. We are always open to considering involvement in impactful events, so invite organisations to reach out with proposals.
Chronicle.lu: For each of the three events, please tell us a bit more about them:
- the "Bridges of Solidarity" Social Forum in mid-November;
- the Christmas Charity Reception networking fundraiser in December;
- the 3rd Ukraine Resilience Business Forum next March.
Evgenia Paliy: Each event we organise reflects our commitment to strengthening ties between Luxembourg and Ukraine by addressing areas where both nations can mutually benefit and exploring solutions that drive progress. We are proud to bring together leaders, organisations and professionals from both countries to collaborate, share insights and make impactful decisions that address social, humanitarian and economic needs.
Here's a bit more on each of our upcoming events:
Bridges of Solidarity Social Forum - 13 November at 08:30
This event is organised in partnership with the Strassen [municipality] and aims to unite cities to cities. We work on bringing together Luxembourgish and Ukrainian leaders, organisations and municipalities. This forum is designed to address social support and humanitarian challenges, sharing experiences, best practices and exploring partnerships to assist Ukrainians affected by the ongoing war. For this event, we are bringing over 30 Ukrainian municipal representatives, mayors of cities like Bucha, Skadovsk, Lviv and others. With a particular focus on municipal-level cooperation, attendees will discuss topics ranging from infrastructure rebuilding to social support systems. This event highlights Luxembourg's ongoing commitment to Ukraine and fosters collaboration on local and regional levels.
Christmas Charity Reception - 12 December at 18:00
[This] is both a festive gathering and a social impactful fundraising event. Focused on raising funds for humanitarian aid, this evening event provides a relaxed environment for Luxembourg and Ukrainian leaders, professionals and supporters to connect and network. The event has a social impact. Proceeds from the event support an essential project for the elderly and disabled in Kharkiv, Ukraine who have been affected by the war. It's an opportunity to celebrate the holiday spirit through giving and to strengthen our network while making a tangible difference.
3rd Ukraine Resilience Business Forum - 5 March 2025
[This] is our flagship business event. Building on the success of previous forums, this gathering focuses on Ukraine's economic resilience and recovery. This year, the forum will delve into attracting foreign investments and fostering business collaboration in key sectors, such as infrastructure, finance and IT. With the involvement of representatives from Ukraine, Luxembourg and the broader European business and finance community, this event serves as a critical platform for discussing strategies to rebuild Ukraine's economy and secure international partnerships.
Looking ahead to next year, we're excited to broaden our focus to include: the EU single market (April 2025); Space, Defence and Cybersecurity (May 2025); ESG conference (September 2025).
Additionally, we continue a socio-economic project to assist Ukrainians in securing employment in Luxembourg. Many Ukrainian professionals face challenges in finding jobs here, and our project aims to help them navigate this process. This initiative benefits both parties by helping companies find qualified candidates while supporting Ukrainians in securing employment. We welcome companies to collaborate on this project - please contact us at hr@lucc.lu if you have open positions or would like to contribute to the programme.
