From Requests to Coalitions: Olha Kamenets on How Business Can Speak to the Government "With One Voice"

28.07.2025

Olha Kamenets

Interaction with the state for an energy business is not about tactical reactions to a crisis, but a strategic long game where success depends on choosing the right tools and the ability to unite efforts. Olha Kamenets, an independent expert with 20 years of experience in GR and reform advocacy, spoke about how to build a systemic dialogue with the government through official requests, participation in working groups, and industry associations during her lecture within the “Communications and Interaction in Energy” course by Energy Club.

The speaker, who has experience working both for state bodies and in a large gas market company, emphasized that GR is first and foremost a strategic interaction. “This is not some tactical, pinpoint reaction by a business; this is a long game. Otherwise, it has no effect at all,” the expert noted.

The GR Specialist’s Arsenal: From Requests to Public Hearings

Olha Kamenets classified the main GR tools, dividing them into three key groups:

• Direct tools: official requests for public information, appeals, and position papers. The expert gave a practical tip: for a request to be effective, it must clearly refer to the Law “On Access to Public Information” and be as specific as possible in its questions.
• Indirect tools: participation in industry associations, working groups, and expert councils at state bodies.
• Public tools: participation in hearings, round tables, parliamentary committee meetings, and broad communication campaigns.

Strength in Unity: Why Associations are a Key GR Tool

The lecturer paid special attention to the role of business associations, calling them a “fundamental GR tool.” According to her, associations are a platform where companies can coordinate their positions to inform the state about them. “This format allows us to speak with one voice.” In addition, they are an instrument for collective advocacy and provide members with important legal and expert support.

When choosing an association, Olha Kamenets advised paying attention to its influence and reputation, but most importantly—to its real, successful case studies.

Practical Case Studies: How GR is Changing the Energy Market

The speaker illustrated the theory with vivid examples from Ukrainian practice. In particular, she detailed the powerful advocacy campaign that preceded the opening of the gas market for households on August 1, 2020, in which Naftogaz played a key role. This case, she said, demonstrated the effectiveness of the coalition model, where business, deputies, and international organizations united around a common goal. At the same time, it showed how important it is to deeply study the sentiments of end consumers, whose inertia came as a surprise to the reform’s initiators.

She also shared her own experience of creating an association that united the interests of gas suppliers (the Association of Energy Suppliers), explaining how persistence and systematic work made it possible to establish an effective dialogue in just a few months, not only with the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Energy and Utilities and the market regulator (NCREKP), but also with international institutions, including the Energy Community Secretariat.

The lecture gave the participants a clear understanding that successful GR is systematic work that requires deep analysis, the right choice of tools, and, most importantly, the ability to unite efforts to achieve common goals.