During the largest Norwegian-Ukrainian Partnership Forum in Lviv, a memorandum was officially signed to establish the Norway Desk — a support service for Norwegian companies interested in cooperating with the city and Ukraine. The forum itself gathered over 250 participants, including about 100 representatives of Norwegian and 183 Ukrainian companies, municipalities, state institutions, and specialized organizations.
The teams of the Investment and Projects Office and the Economy Office of the Economic Development Department of the Lviv City Council worked on preparing and launching this service, which will operate on a “one-stop shop” principle for investors: it will help Norwegian companies find partners, obtain necessary consultations, learn about Lviv’s investment opportunities, and implement joint projects.
“We view the cooperation between Norwegian and Ukrainian companies as a true partnership. Ukraine today demonstrates a high level of innovation, flexibility, and resilience, and this is experience that is valuable for Norwegian business. We are pleased to co-organize this forum and facilitate the creation of new ties between companies from our countries,” emphasized Thomas Egger Sorensen, Senior Vice President for Special Assignments at Innovation Norway.
For their part, representatives of the Norwegian government also noted a high level of interest in bilateral cooperation.
“About 100 Norwegian companies came to Lviv to participate in the forum. This testifies to the great interest of Norwegian business in Ukraine and an understanding of our partnership’s potential. We see significant opportunities for cooperation in the fields of IT, reconstruction, healthcare, defense technologies, and innovation. For Norway, it is important not only to join the recovery of Ukraine but also to build long-term, mutually beneficial economic relations. We can be of mutual benefit to each other. This is definitely a cooperation that works as a plus for both sides,” believes Vegard Groslie Wennesland, State Secretary at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries of Norway.
The Norway Desk has become a logical continuation of the partnership between Lviv and Norway. Among the joint initiatives are Oslo’s participation in the Unbroken Cities initiative, a partnership with Bergen, Norwegian support for the modernization of the “Oriyana” Lyceum with a 5 million euro grant, financing of the city’s energy resilience measures, and the implementation of a number of investment projects involving Norwegian businesses.
The new service is expected to become yet another instrument for developing economic cooperation between Lviv and Norway and launching new joint projects.
“The cooperation between Lviv and Norway already has concrete results — from the partnership with Oslo and Bergen to joint projects in the fields of education, medicine, energy, and support for our defenders. The Norway Desk will become another important tool for developing economic ties, attracting investments, and launching new joint projects between Norwegian and Ukrainian businesses,” says Lviv City Mayor Andrii Sadovyy.
During the visit to Lviv, the Norwegian delegation also visited the Field of Honorary Burials at Lychakiv Cemetery, where they honored the memory of Ukrainian defenders. In addition, members of the delegation joined the city’s farewell ceremony for a fallen serviceman on Rynok Square. Afterwards, the delegation also visited the Lviv City Council. During a meeting with Mayor Andrii Sadovyy, State Secretary at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries of Norway Vegard Groslie Wennesland signed the city’s Book of Honored Guests.
As a reminder, in July 2025, Lviv became the first city in Ukraine to open a specialized support service for Japanese business — Japan Desk Lviv. The Lviv City Council and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) signed the corresponding memorandum of cooperation on July 7, 2025. Since then, the service has been helping Japanese companies find partners, receive consultations, and develop cooperation with Lviv.
