At the C8 Carpathian Summit, Centravis called for access to the European market to become part of Ukraine’s industrial integration into the EU
On September 18–19, the Carpathian Summit took place in Ukraine — an international platform focused on strengthening cooperation among the countries of the Carpathian region, deepening economic ties, attracting investment, and developing cross-border projects.
As part of the Summit, Inna Polutsyhanova, Director of the Legal Department at Centravis, took part in the panel discussion “Carpathian Industrial Cooperation: Nearshoring, Industrial Parks and Cross-Border Value Chains.”
The key focus of her remarks was access for Ukrainian manufacturers to the European market as a necessary condition for Ukraine’s industrial integration into the EU:
“Europe is encouraging Ukrainian companies to keep production in Ukraine, relocate capacity to safer western regions, invest, and integrate into European manufacturing value chains. Centravis has done exactly that: during the war, we relocated part of our production from frontline Nikopol to Uzhhorod — closer to the EU border and our European customers. But this model cannot work without predictable access to the market,” said Inna Polutsyhanova.
The new EU regime provides Ukraine with an annual quota of 6,524 tonnes for seamless stainless steel tubes and pipes. By comparison, the company exported approximately 14.2 thousand tonnes in 2021 and more than 11.3 thousand tonnes even in wartime 2025. Once the quota is exhausted, an additional 50% duty applies.
The consequences for the Ukrainian manufacturer are already tangible: the company has closed its production site in Uzhhorod, which had been established to reduce wartime risks and bring production closer to European customers. As a result, 181 people lost their jobs.
“We propose adding market access as the fifth element of Carpathian industrial cooperation, as outlined in the Summit agenda — alongside product, location, partners, and financing. If we want companies to invest in western Ukraine, relocate production here, and build cross-border manufacturing value chains, they need to understand that products made in Ukraine will have access to the European market,” emphasized Inna Polutsyhanova.
Centravis proposes making seamless stainless steel tubes and pipes a separate track in Ukraine–EU negotiations and ensuring guaranteed duty-free access for Ukrainian products to the European market at a level of at least 14.3 thousand tonnes per year.
