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A delegation of the BUSINESSEUROPE had a series of meetings with officials from the Economic Development Ministry, Ministry for Industry and Trade, Foreign Affairs Ministry, Head Office of the Customs Union and Opora Rossii business association while on a two day visit to Moscow on March 31 – April 1. On the Russian side, the visit was coordinated by the RSPP Managing Director for International Cooperation Andrey Kuznetsov (he is also the Executive Director of the RSPP International Council for Cooperation and Investment) and ICCI Executive Secretary Anton Eropkin.
List of discussion topics for the meeting at the Economic Development Ministry
1. Priorities for Russia’s foreign trade policy and for the development of relations with the EU;
2. ‘Partnership for Modernization: Russia - EU’: priority implementation measures;
3. Adding economic substance to the new Russia-EU agreement;
4. The Customs Union and the Unified Economic Space (Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan):
Influence on Russia-EU relations;
List of issues (spheres and sectors), qualified for supranational regulation;
Changes to the regulations governing import/movement of goods and services from the EU and regulations governing the activities of European companies in Russia;
Customs tariffs: their value and procedures for its adjustment this or that way;
5. Implementation of B20 agreements in Russia’s economic context.
List of issues put forward by BUSINESSEUROPE for discussion in Moscow. March 30-31, 2011.
1. Post-crisis policies:
a) Measures to shore up the financial sector;
b) Investment policies and industrial development (bilateral instruments to stimulate FDI);
c) Technology cooperation and exchange between Russia and EU;
d) Transportation policies and customs related issues (motor, rail and air transportation);
e) Implementation of B20 agreements.
2. Trade policies
a) WTO accession negotiations;
b) Export restrictions implementation.
3. Processes of integration
a) Integration across the former USSR: the Customs Union and the Unified Economic Space;
b) The Strategic Partnership Agreement between Russia and EU: format and key provisions;
c) Russia – EU: a partnership for modernization; priority implementation steps.
The delegation consisted of:
Peter Tagesen, Director for International Relations (Confederation of Danish Industries);
Timo Laukkanen, Deputy Chairman (BUSINESSEUROPE Russia Network), Senior Advisor (Confederation of Finnish Industries)
Adrian van den Hoven – Director for International Relations (BUSINESSEUROPE)
Anka Schild – Advisor (International Cooperation) BUSINESSEUROPE.