The Association of Information Technology Enterprises of Ukraine (hereinafter – AITEU or Association) was registered on 7 June 2007 in the legal organizational form of an association of enterprises. The Association was established within the framework of reforming public organization The Association of IT-Distributors and, in a certain sense, is a successor of this organization. The goal of the Association is to coordinate and consolidate the efforts of Ukrainian IT-companies in order to resolve their professional activity problems, which are of common interest. Key objectives of the Association are as follows:
- exercising impact on the government policy in the IT area, protecting the interests of the Association’s members and representing their interests in the government bodies, as well as lobbying laws and regulations favorable to the industry;
- developing business ethics fundamentals and advocating their use in IT-companies’ business activities; facilitating development of civilized relations in the market; and
- promoting informal communications and information exchange among the members of the Association.
Today, the membership of the Association consists of 32 companies from the sector of IT, consumer electronics and home appliances, among which are the biggest distributors, manufacturers, retail and e-commerce stores chains, system integrators, and representative offices of foreign vendors. The Association consolidates its members’ efforts to create favorable conditions for the activities of suppliers and sellers of IT, consumer electronics and home appliances products and to develop common rules for co-operation with partners and consumers, as well as coordinates actions in the area of drafting and lobbying the laws and regulations, which define relations within the market. The Association actively promotes creation of conditions for a further development of the the industry. The Association is represented in many government bodies, including:
- the Public Council under the State Committee of Ukraine for Technical Regulation and Consumer Policy – since 31 May 2007;
- the Public Board of the State Committee of Ukraine for Regulatory Policy and Entrepreneurship – since 29 May 2007
- the Scientific and Technical Council of the National Informatization Program under the Ministry of Transport and Communications of Ukraine – since 19 April 2007;
- the Management Board of the Civil Council under the State Customs Service of Ukraine – since 26 March 2007;
- the Council of National Associations of Manufacturers under the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine – since 19 February 2007.
The Association has been entered into the Registry of Industry Associations of Manufacturers, Importers and Exporters of Ukraine. The Association cooperates with the Secretariats of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) Committees on Informatization and Communications, and also on Science and Education, the Ministry of Economy, and Antimonopoly Committee. The Association is currently building relations with peer associations of other states (Kazakhstan, Poland). Yu. Perohanych, Director General of the Association, has been elected a Chair of the Task Force for IT-Business Development in CIS States established under the auspices of the Informatization Commission under the Regional Communications Commonwealth. The Association represents and protects interests of the majority of IT-products’ distribution channel participants: foreign vendors and Ukrainian manufacturers, distributors and dealers, retailers, and system integrators.