Matteo Patrone, the new regional head of EBRD, the largest investor in Ukraine, says: “Clearly the message from our Board is: invest more in Ukraine.”

Matteo Patrone, the new regional head of EBRD, the largest investor in Ukraine, says: “Clearly the message from our Board is: invest more in Ukraine.” Despite that marching order, he said that only 40% of the bank’s currently approved €3.6 billion portfolio is being deployed. Speaking at a US-Ukraine Business Council meeting, he confirmed a six-month-old EBRD halt to new investment in solar projects, pending the Rada’s passage of an auction bill for renewable energy. Saying “small privatization is working well, he added: “Big privatization is a total disaster.” He said “the oil and gas sector could be a good candidate” for privatization. On Mariupol-Berdyansk infrastructure in the Azov, he cautioned that the EBRD can only deal with investment-ready projects.