In the format of an exchange of experience, a conversation between the representatives of the Ukrainian Association of Furniture Manufacturers and the European Furniture Industries Confederation (EFIC) took place in the usual Zoom communication mode for today’s realities.

This event was part of the educational and consulting Swiss-Ukrainian project “Strengthening membership in business associations of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises”, which is implemented on the basis of the Kyiv-Mohyla Business School by the United Nations Development Program in Ukraine (UNDP) in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine and with the support of the Swiss government. As part of this course, which includes, in addition to training, consultations with experts, and exchanges of experience with related industry organizations, representatives of 27 domestic business associations (including ours) worked on their strategies, development, and implementation of business models. That is why our association proposed to hold an online meeting with colleagues from EFIC according to the training program, the organization, and the conduct of which was assisted by the Kyiv-Mohyla Business School.

And it is not by chance that the choice was stopped at EFIC. In addition to the fact that this confederation is a powerful and authoritative industry union, in which furniture associations of European countries and furniture clusters have united, it was she who, when Ukraine was subjected to Russian aggression, offered us – the Ukrainian Association of Furniture Manufacturers – a free associate membership for promotion and support. After the month of April, when UAFM acquired such membership, the December online communication between the representatives of both sides was actually the first joint familiarization event. Although business contacts date back to 2020 when UAFM was preparing its first B2B exhibition and turned to EFIC for assistance in finding buyers.

As UAFM’s board member Oksana Donska, who was the speaker of our association at this meeting, the secretary of EFIC, Mrs. Gabriela, made a detailed presentation of the confederation, in which she told about its members, the terms of their membership, organizational principles, the structure of the organization, and the formation of its budget. In particular, about the fact that the confederation’s board includes the heads of all national furniture associations, that the Swedish furniture giant “IKEA” entered the confederation as an association, and that – as another exception – only the Ukrainian Association of Furniture Manufacturers is granted non-fee membership in EFIC. Oksana Donska, thanking her for this, in her turn spoke about UAFM in the same way.

The participants of the Internet bridge from our side received more detailed answers to some positions of the presentation information from Ms. Gabriela in the course of a further friendly conversation. From this conversation, we also learned that EFIC is an influential lobbyist for the industry on the scale of the European Union, a developer of industry regulations, an initiator and leader of socially significant industry projects – for example, environmental, energy-saving, cluster, educational, personnel orientation, waste-free production, etc. One of her recent topical developments was recommendations for furniture makers to get out of the current crisis. Now is the time to stabilize the European furniture industry in the context of the recession caused by the war in Ukraine, and to provide direct assistance to our country. The EFIC directorate regularly informs its members about all events and news of the industry (now our association also receives such information in order to be able to join confederation events if necessary). According to Ms. Oksana, analytical information about the European furniture market would be especially valuable for our association, if we could receive it from EFIC.

EFIC – European Furniture Industries Confederation