Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Center for Investment and Development representing the regions, which in 2013 took the first places by the rating of investment attractiveness of Ukraine’s regions, joined to the implementation of Polish project on strengthening the capacity of Western Ukraine cities to attract foreign capital.

Polish project "School of investment attraction for the Western Ukrainian local governments" is carried out by Krakiv Lesser Poland Institute of Local Government and Administration funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Poland Republic. The project will last during 2014-2015. The Ukrainian side partners were the Institute of Political Technologies (Lviv) and public center "Business Initiatives" (Ivano-Frankivsk).

Project aim is to support the powers of Western Ukraine local authorities in foreign investment attraction. Project is focused on small cities of the selected region with a population from 10 to 50 thousand people (Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Khmelnytsky, Volyn, Rivne, Ternopil and Zakarpattia regions). Officials of city councils working on issues regarding investment policy development, local development and city promotion as well as local development agencies will be chosen from this group for most of the project events and objectives. Polish and Ukrainian experts in the field of investment attraction will share their knowledge and experience with local authorities and non-governmental institutions for the successful presentation of local investment opportunities. As a result, the training program (workshops) for Ukrainian experts on issues regarding formation of specialized investment offers and use of tools to attract investors is expected to be hold. Moreover, the "investment" catalog of such offers will be issued. Plans of investment promotion will be formed for 10 cities in Western Ukraine.

These and other organizational issues were discussed during the round table, held in Ivano-Frankivsk on June 24, 2014. The event brought together about 50 participants from Poland, Lviv and Prykarpattia, including representatives of companies with foreign investments operating in Ivano-Frankivsk region, local authorities, local councils, NGOs/local development agencies, workers of regional centers for investment and development of the two regions. National top managers of local companies with foreign capital have presented the main motives of investors to start business in Ukraine and show the main difficulties and problems encountered during the work. The main investment barriers in Ukraine and the region taking into account the realities of the present were determined together with participants and representatives of authorities. Research results of investment barriers as well as needs of 31 small city from 7 regions of Western Ukraine were presented during the round table. Framework recommendations for changes to plan further action were determined during the lively discussion by joint efforts.