For the first time, on the initiative of Luhansk City Council members, Luhansk City Council Administration for Economics has developed the Programme Luhansk for Investment 2012-2015.

The Programme is elaborated for medium-term perspective and includes a complex of activities developed with account of international and domestic conditions and regulations for investment attraction.

The main aim of the Programme is to create a favorable investment climate, activate investment activity aimed at modernization of the real sector of the economy and, as a result, building of a positive image of the city.

The analysis of investment and foreign economic activity in the city helped to see strengths and weaknesses and, as a result, the main problems:

1. Insufficient informatisation and lack of information about facilities for investment.

2. Old-fashioned technologies and infrastructure of urban economy.

3. Acceleration of economic development and tempo of introduction of new technologies in competing cities, which leads to insufficient level of competitiveness of Luhansk at regional and national levels.

4. Need of transition from controversial image of the city to strategic management in image creation.

To enhance strong sides of investment and foreign economic activity and level weaknesses within the Programme, we have defined three key directions:

• Assistance to investment activity;

• Assistance to foreign economic activity;

• Building of positive image and increase of competitive advantages of the city.

Within these directions we plan to:

1.  

   • Establish and renew databases (including placement of this information on the official website of Luhansk Mayor and city council executive bodies) of laws and regulations at all levels regulating the mechanism for attraction and support of investors, land plots attractive for investments, available non-residential buildings, and export potential of the city. It will help potential investors to find all the necessary information about the investment objects and the mechanisms for implementing the projects quickly and easily.

   • Make an inventory of municipal property objects to develop public and private partnership and further cooperation of business entities and investors within realisation of this mechanism. It will help to attract private capital for the development of the city.

   • Facilitate implementation of investment projects and programmes for enterprises, organisations and establishments of the city.

   • Prepare presentation material on investment and foreign economic activity of Luhansk.

   • Take part in exhibition activities organised by Luhansk City Council (international forums, summits, exhibitions etc.) aimed at increasing international attractiveness of Luhansk.

As a result, all this will allow enhance the position of city authorities in the development of investment and foreign economic activity, form an efficient information support to investment processes, and present investment proposals of the city’s enterprises and organisations to potential investors.

With an aim to create a positive image and increase competitive advantages of the city we plan to:

• Develop a city brand concept on the basis of its identity analysis. This concept will mean initialisation of the city in the form of a system of inter-related symbols, images, ideas and associations;

• Create a guideline regulating Luhansk visual identification, i.e. a brand-book;

• Carry out the activities on city brand communication (PR activities, events, distribution of promo materials, participation in the international forums, summits, exhibitions etc.), which will help to create a steady image of an “active, innovative and comfortable” city;

• Develop a web-page to reach the city brand target groups.

One more set of measures of the Programme is the development of strategic directions for investment activity in Luhansk, including study of opportunities to organise logistic centers, technical parks, industrial parks, recreation and entertainment parks on the city’s territory.

Expected results

• Active attraction of investment resources to the real sector of the city economy, creation of new working places;

• Technical re-equipment, increase of production volume of competitive goods and services;

• Efficient use of innovative potential of the city.

Implementation of the measures of the Programme Luhansk for Investment 2012-2015 [527.36 Kb] (3 downloads) will ensure increase of the volumes of investments attracted to the city economy. The predicted volume of investment in basic capital will be increased on average by 12% a year, the volume of foreign investments will be increased by 12%, and the volume of export will be increased on average by 14%. Another expected result of carrying out the measures of the Programme is implementation of efficient investment projects in the priority directions for development of the city economy.