The DOMOVA team was invited to take part in the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2026 in Gdańsk, held on 25–26 June 2026 and jointly organised by the governments of Poland and Ukraine. For us, this was not just attendance at an international event, but a working trip with a clear focus: the recovery of Ukrainian cities, the attraction of private capital, and the search for practical mechanisms to address old, unsafe, and damaged housing stock.

The scale of this year’s conference speaks for itself. According to various estimates, around 7,500 participants gathered in Gdańsk, including nearly 70 official delegations and representatives of approximately 40 countries at the governmental level. The conference was opened by Prime Minister of Poland Donald Tusk and Prime Minister of Ukraine Yuliia Svyrydenko. President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also confirmed their participation. Over the two days, nearly 200 agreements, memoranda, and letters of intent were signed, with a total value exceeding EUR 1.5 billion.

URC2026 once again demonstrated that there is strong interest in Ukraine. International businesses, funds, chambers of commerce, public institutions, and investors are ready to consider cooperation opportunities. But almost all of them are saying the same thing: they need not general ideas, but specific projects with clear economics, a transparent legal structure, and a real implementation mechanism.

This is exactly the direction in which our team worked during the conference.

Urban recovery requires more than funding

At URC2026, there was much discussion about financing, investment, international programmes, and support for Ukraine. For example, under the Ukraine Investment Framework, EUR 524 million was mobilised for municipal projects, with an additional EUR 149 million directed to transport infrastructure development. A memorandum was also signed between Ukraine, the European Commission, and the European Investment Bank, opening the way for an additional EUR 120 million for transport, energy, and digital infrastructure.

However, our main conclusion is very practical: money alone does not launch recovery.

For private capital to enter a project, an investor needs to understand:

• what specific asset or project is being proposed;
• what its economics are;
• what legal risks exist;
• who is responsible for implementation;
• how cooperation with the city, the community, and property owners is structured;
• what result can be achieved.

Without this, even a strong idea remains only an idea.

For Ukrainian cities, this is especially relevant. Many assets that require renewal have complex ownership structures, technical issues, social sensitivity, and legal limitations. These are not projects that investors can enter quickly or without preparation.

What we discussed at URC2026

During the conference, the DOMOVA team held a number of working meetings with representatives of international business, institutions, and organisations working on Ukraine’s recovery.

We presented our approach to old and damaged housing stock and discussed how such projects can be prepared for investors. These conversations confirmed an important market need: international partners are ready to consider real projects, but only if they have a clear economic rationale, legal logic, and a transparent implementation mechanism.

It is also significant that the municipal level received separate attention this year. Oleksii Kuleba, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine and Minister for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine, noted that the conference showed a transition from responding to the consequences of war to long-term reconstruction planning. A portfolio of public-private partnership projects with an estimated value of EUR 5–10 billion was also presented at the event. Mykolaiv, in particular, presented its recovery experience at the conference and was among the cities whose practical cases investors studied most closely.

In other words, the market is not looking for abstract opportunities. It is looking for projects that can be verified, assessed, financed, and implemented.

Public-Private Partnership as one of the key instruments

One of the important topics at URC2026 was public-private partnership.

For urban recovery, this instrument is highly relevant. State and local budgets will not be sufficient to address all reconstruction needs. At the same time, private capital cannot work effectively where there are no rules, structure, or accountability.

The role of local self-government was also emphasised at the European level. Mayor of Gdańsk Aleksandra Dulkiewicz stressed that Ukraine’s recovery cannot be managed only from offices in capital cities, and that the success of transformation depends on trust — between central and local authorities, between the state and citizens, and between Ukraine and its European partners. The same point was discussed ahead of the conference during consultations involving Deputy Minister for Communities and Territories Development Oleksii Riabikin and representatives of the European Committee of the Regions.

This is why public-private partnership is viewed as one of the mechanisms capable of bringing together the interests of communities, the state, businesses, and investors.

But there is an important point here: international investment can enter municipal projects only when those projects are properly prepared. This is not just about a presentation or an idea, but about legal, economic, and organisational structuring.

For DOMOVA, this logic is very close. We work precisely with the types of assets where the process simply does not move forward without preparation.

Why housing stock is part of economic recovery

Old, unsafe, and damaged housing stock is often perceived as a social or municipal problem. In reality, however, it is also an economic issue. It is no coincidence that, among the key outcomes of URC2026 in Gdańsk, new housing programmes were highlighted alongside investments and digital tools for reconstruction.

Such buildings occupy urban land, shape the appearance of districts, and influence residents’ safety, infrastructure, and the investment attractiveness of entire areas.

The challenge is that a single building may have dozens of owners. Each of them has their own position, circumstances, and expectations. For a developer or investor, this creates a complex process. For the city, it becomes a problem that can remain unresolved for years. For residents, it means living in uncertainty.

That is why a mechanism is needed to help unite owners, form a clear asset, and make it suitable for further work with an investor or developer.

DOMOVA is working to make complex assets within old, unsafe, or damaged housing stock understandable for all parties.

For owners, this is an opportunity to exit a problematic asset through a collective decision. For developers and investors, it is an opportunity to work not with a chaotic set of individual apartments, but with a prepared asset and a clear process. For the city, it is a chance to receive new construction, renewed urban areas, and more efficient use of land.

This is the approach we discussed during URC2026. And it is precisely this approach that, in our view, can become part of a practical model for urban recovery.

What the trip confirmed

URC2026 confirmed several important points:

• First, international interest in Ukraine exists, and the scale of this year’s conference — thousands of participants, dozens of delegations, and nearly 200 signed agreements — clearly demonstrates this.
• Second, investors are ready to discuss specific projects, but they want to see a prepared structure, clear economics, and understandable rules.
• Third, municipal projects have significant potential. This year, hundreds of millions of euros were allocated specifically to them, and a public-private partnership portfolio worth billions was presented. However, such projects require high-quality preliminary preparation.
• Fourth, housing recovery cannot be considered separately from urban development, investment, and partnership with the private sector.

After the conference, we continue working with the contacts established during the trip and on preparing projects that can be understandable for international partners and private investors.

Ukraine’s recovery is not only about major international programmes. It is also about daily work with specific assets, owners, communities, cities, and investors. Ukrainian cities need not only funding, but also mechanisms that can turn complex problems into implementable projects.

This is what we are working on.