8 key points of an exclusive zoom-interview with Mr.Dan Catarivas

8 key points of an exclusive zoom-interview with Mr.Dan Catarivas, Director General — Foreign Trade & International Relations at the Manufacturers’ Association of Israel

In mid-May 2020, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Israel-Ukraine, represented by its CEO Vlad Cherkassky, has met online with Mr. Dan Catarivas, Director General — Foreign Trade & International Relations at the Manufacturers’ Association of Israel. The conversation has taken place in the format of an exclusive zoom-interview, the key moments of which are published below:

1. Covid-19 teaches us to be prepared for unexpected things. Israel has already had protocols for military and security crises. But now the country has got an enemy nobody can see. This is a new level of preparation

2. The Manufacturers’ Association of Israel lobbied many essential decisions and established protocols of business continuity for Israeli industry during Covid-19 situation. Food industry, supplies for it, agrarian sector, pharmaceutical sphere, defense industry continued to function during the whole quarantine

3. Export industries were kept open because of its importance for the country

4. According to predictions Israeli GDP will decrease by about 5 % in 2020

5. Medical sector, digital medicine, distant communications systems, cybersecurity spheres, hi-tech business had an opportunity to grow during this crisis

6. Now the main role of the Manufacturers’ Association of Israel is to support companies, that suffered from Covid-19 situation, to help them to start their businesses again, to get compensations. Both microlevel and macrolevel

7. Ukraine has got a super potential because of its big market, manufacturer capacity and resources. Israeli-Ukrainian collaboration is a win-win situation. Israel can provide Ukraine with modern solutions for agroindustry and industrial capacities, to upgrade Ukrainian system with new technologies. Israeli industry can provide technological support to upgrade Ukrainian industry to Industry 4.0

8. Covid-19 made global businesses think about diversification, about shifting their powers from China to other countries. And it’s a great chance for Ukraine to become this point

You can watch the full video interview with Mr.Dan Catarivas on a Facebook page of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Israel-Ukraine using this hyperlink