Politico featured Covington's pro bono work with the Ukrainian Business & Trade association in its "EU Influence" column. The column highlighted Covington's work in persuading the EU to take the "unprecedented step of dropping tariffs and quotas for agricultural and industrial products coming from Ukraine, following a similar move in the U.K."
“The real question now is: Can Ukrainian industry actually take advantage of this?” said Atli. Atli stated, "Nothing can get out through the ports of Odessa and Mariupol, 'so in practice Ukraine will need to be able to find nearby EU harbors through which to ship goods to the EU and beyond.” For land routes, he added, the lack of customs inspectors is an obstacle. “Poland has increased inspectors, but more will be needed,” Atli said.
As the article states, "When the rebuilding starts, Covington and UBTA are urging Brussels to put Ukrainians 'in the driving seat' on how to spend the hundreds of millions that will be needed to restart the economy." “This will mean getting those on the ground involved in the planning – businesses, municipalities, and so on, not just national governments and international financial institutions,” said Atli.
In addition, Covington and UBTA are also working with the Brussels Chamber of Commerce to launch a Ukrainian film festival in the coming months.
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