On November, 13, 2008, in the Radisson SAS Hotel, Kiev International conference „Strengthening the Public-Private Partnership in the Ukrainian ICT Sector” was held.

The Conference was organized by The Association of Information Technology Enterprises of Ukraine (AITEU), Ukrainian Internet Association (UIA), IT Ukraine Association together with the World Bank Institute and the Regional Center of organizational management (Rumania) under the financial support of the government of Spain.

Among those participated in the Conference were representatives of ICT business, National Committee on Ukrainian relations regulation, State Committee on informatisation of Ukraine, State Telecom Department of the Ministry of Transport and Communications of Ukraine, World Bank and international reporters from Rumania and Macedonia.

The participants shared experience on strengthening the dialogue between the organizations of IT business in the region of Eastern and Central Europe, discussed specific achievements of ICT associations of the region.

During the plenary and sectional sessions, the following issues were discussed: legal limits for electronic communications, zero tax on wage for software developers, software market activation, and reduction of VAT on the software imports.

In the discussion of said questions participated Elena Dumitru (ANISP Association, Rumania), Tatyana Popova, Victoria Kravchenko (UIA), Alexander Pavlenko (National Committee on Telecom Regulation), Sergey Bondarenko (Deloitte & Touche), as well as Vasile Baltac (President of ICT Association ATIS, representative of Associations Coalition “Tech 21”, Rumania), Vasko Kronevski (President of the Chamber of Commerce on ICT (MASIT), Macedonia), Igor Lisitsky, Alexey Kozhenkin (IT Ukraine Association), Yuri Perohanych (AITEU), Vladislav Shapoval (“Lexfor”).

Summing up results of the Conference, the participants specified the following key issues that need to be solved at the state level:

1. Cancellation of VAT on the software import, overcoming crisis in the area of intellectual property on software in Ukraine, development of state programs for the support of purchasing personal computers for private use, as well as for SMEs, especially by means of assigning vouchers for pupils and students from the families of moderate income full or partial compensation for interests on loans.
2. Sorting out system of taxation of the IT industry and that of social insurance according to the competitive environment of the industry at the world market, including harmonization of Ukrainian legislation taking into account the conditions established in the IT industry leading countries (India, China, Russia, Rumania, Belorussia etc.), notably in the sphere of tax on profit tax, income taxes of individuals, VAT, transfers for the funds of social maintenance to the social insurance funds.
3. Setting up business incubator for the concentration of IT companies and the development of specialized infrastructure, creation of conditions for new developments favored by public/private partnership financing, introduction at the Ukrainian market of venture capital, international consulting and IT companies.
4. Improvement of the system of professional education by way of establishment single state system of IT specialties certification, in accordance with the world standards, development of new educational programs for IT specialties together with professional IT associations.
5. Continuation of the process of establishing effective cooperation between higher educational institutes n of Ukraine and private business for the purpose of developing efficient mechanism of the support for the business of higher school and the participation of its specialists in pilot business projects.
6. Adoption of new Law of Ukraine “On Telecommunications”, adapting it to the legislation of European Union, including the 1998 Instruction s of EU.
7. Development of legislative conditions for the effective state regulation of the improvement of the access conditions to telecommunications operators networks, including those who occupy monopolistic (dominant) positions in the market of corresponding services.
8. Improvement of existing legislative and standard base in the sphere of telecommunications for providing clear-cut distribution of the authority and functions of National Committee on Communication s Regulation and Central Executive Authority on Communications.
9. Development of long-term strategy of regulatory impact on the functioning of the telecommunications market of Ukraine.
10. Conversion of radio frequency resource of Ukraine, in the interests of civilian users, for the purpose of the expansion of the market of services as well as improving their quality.
11. Setting up under the Ministry of Ukraine of a consulting body composed of specialists representing ICT business Associations.