EU4Business: SMEPIS project key results – deregulation, digitalisation, and Ukraine’s EU integration

On 2 July, the final event of the ‘EU4Business: SME Policies and Institutions Support’ (SMEPIS) project took place in Kyiv. The project aimed to simplify doing business, to digitise public services, strengthen the capacity of business support organisations, and assist Ukraine on its path to EU integration.

“Supporting businesses and engaging them in Ukraine’s recovery is our shared priority. SMEPIS has been a driver of digitalisation and reforms that have already delivered tangible benefits to businesses,” said Henrik Huitfeldt, Head of the Public Finance, Business Support and Social Policies Section at the EU Delegation to Ukraine. “We support tools that simplify public service delivery, such as e-Permit, PULSE, and Diia.Business. Educational programmes help Ukrainian entrepreneurs integrate into the EU single market. Together, we work towards sustainable development, modern digital infrastructure, and Ukraine’s European integration.” 

One of the project’s central initiatives was deregulation reform. Since early 2023, with SMEPIS experts‘ assistance, 1,323 regulatory instruments have been reviewed — the largest audit of its kind in Ukraine’s history. Over 300 outdated regulatory instruments have already been abolished.

According to SMEPIS experts, the reform will impact over 1.3 million enterprises and save businesses more than UAH 18.6 billion annually.

Another major focus was the digitalisation of services for entrepreneurs.

Key achievements in this field include:

• Modernisation of the national Diia.Business portal, now offering personal accounts, smart chats, and educational modules. The updated platform has already served over 1.23 million users, with a total audience of over 14.5 million people.
• Strengthening of ePermit – Unified State Digital System of Permit Documents by expanding functionality, ensuring integration with the national open data platform data.gov.ua, and increasing transparency and accessibility of permit-related information.
• Development of the Regulatory Portal, a single platform for all regulatory procedures, ensuring user-friendly access, transparency, and participatory engagement for businesses and citizens.
• Launch of the Deregulation Portal and dashboard — public tools to monitor deregulation progress.

The project also included workshops and training to strengthen the capacity of Ukrainian civil servants and businesses for EU integration and entry into the single European market.

Over 800 public officials were trained on EU legislation and standards, ten business associations established direct contacts with European partners through strategic meetings in Brussels, and nearly 1,000 consultations provided to Ukrainian businesses on accessing the EU market, with over 300 market research studies conducted.

Additionally, SMEPIS experts promoted the annual European Enterprise Promotion Awards (EEPA) by designing the national stage of the UEPA competition and increasing its visibility among Ukrainian entrepreneurs. In 2025, 81 applications were received in Ukraine, with the results to be announced in July.

The ‘SME Policies and Institutions Support’ (SMEPIS) project was implemented by Ecorys in consortium with GIZ, BRDO and Civitta and funded by the European Union in Ukraine.

Find out more

Press release

Presentation of SMEPIS key results is available here.

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