Mayors of Slovakia opened new opportunities for cooperation during the SARIO business mission to Lviv

From 10 to 12 March 2026, Mayors of Slovakia participated in a business mission to Lviv, Ukraine, co-organised by SARIO – the Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic for the Recovery Plan and Knowledge Economy. The programme included expert presentations, introductions of Slovak and Ukrainian participants, pre-arranged B2B meetings, as well as a working meeting with the Investment and Projects Department of the City of Lviv at the City Hall.

For Mayors of Slovakia, participation in the mission was primarily an opportunity to open a concrete discussion on how to connect the needs of cities and regions with expert know-how, business solutions, and international partnerships. The objective was not only networking, but also identifying forms of cooperation that can have a tangible impact on the functioning of local governments, the development of communities, and the recovery of the region.

The pilot business meeting at Citadel Inn Hotel brought together 11 companies from Slovakia and more than 29 companies from Ukraine. The main objective was to connect partners from both countries and identify common topics in the areas of business cooperation and regional development. The programme also included a meeting at the City Hall, where investment projects of the city and economic development initiatives were presented.

During the business mission, we focused on several areas where Mayors of Slovakia can further develop long-term cooperation between local governments, experts, and the business sector, including:

• educational and practical sessions for local governments focused on health, productivity, and stress resilience of community leaders and entrepreneurs, delivered both online and in-person,

• Slovak–Ukrainian networking clubs connecting cities, companies, and experts, which could be organised alternately in Lviv and Slovakia,

• joint thematic events supporting entrepreneurship and community development, such as the Entrepreneur Energy Forum or the Healthy Business Community,

• pilot wellness programmes for municipalities, aimed at improving the health and performance of people working in the local government sector,

• international thematic clubs in Lviv, creating space for informal networking, professional dialogue, and the preparation of concrete projects.

The discussions in Lviv also confirmed that the recovery of Ukraine is not only about reconstruction, but also about modernisation, innovation, and systematically built international cooperation.

On the occasion of the business mission, we also held a bilateral meeting with the Governor of the Lviv Oblast, Maksym Kozytskyy, during which we discussed possibilities for further cooperation, connecting partners, and initiatives that could support the recovery and development of the Lviv region.