RSPP and AEB agree to work closer to promote Russian and foreign businesses in Russia and EU

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On 26 March 2021, Alexander Shokhin, President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP), met with Tadzio Schilling, the CEO of the Association of European Businesses (AEB). During the meeting they discussed promising areas for Russian-European cooperation, working together within the International Council for Cooperation and Investment (ICCI), strategic initiatives between Russia and Europe, as well as current challenges, including COVID-19.

Despite these challenges, Alexander Shokhin said he was confident that Russian and European businesses would continue to build strong and fruitful partnerships.  “As well as continuing to build on cooperation in traditional areas, we also need to develop new areas of cooperation,” said Shokhin.

The AEB has been actively involved in the ICCI, which operates under the auspices of the RSPP. Chairman of the AEB Board Johan Vanderplaetse is also co-chairman of the ICCI. The last meeting of the ICCI was attended, among others, by EU Ambassador to Russia Markus Ederer, and was devoted to opportunities for economic, trade and investment cooperation between the EU and Russia and the EAEU, including the impact of the European Green Deal.

As the EU is Russia’s key trading partner, the implementation of the European Green Deal is very important for Russian businesses. This has become one of the key areas of focus of the RSPP Committee on Climate Policy and Carbon Regulation, which was established in October last year.

Alexander Shokhin and Tadzio Schilling agreed that, amid strained official relations between Russia and the EU, practical cooperation between the RSPP and the AEB is of particular importance for European companies operating in Russia. The RSPP and AEB agreed to hold a joint event at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

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