OREANDA-NEWS. Moscow’s World Trade Center hosted the 7th International Congress “Open Russia: Strategy of the New Reality” organized by the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI), Trade Policy Committee of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, and AERgroup.

In the course of the plenary session, presentations were made by Igor Rudensky, Chairman of the State Duma Committee for Economic Policy, Innovative Development and Entrepreneurship, Victor Yermakov, General Director of the Russian Agency for Small and Medium Business Support and Commissioner (ombudsman) for Protection of Rights of Small and Medium-Sized Businesses, Vladimir Maltsev, Director of the Industrial Policy Department, Eurasian Economic Commission, Andrei Spartak, Chairman of the RCCI’s Committee for International Trade Promotion, and Oleg Sazanov, head of the WTC’s International and Regional Development Department.

The key topics on the agenda included ways of achieving maximum reach in dissemination of WTO awareness among the business community; measures taken by the government and aimed at helping regions adapt and at minimizing negative effects of Russia’s accession to the WTO for individual industries; promotion of favorable investment climate in the country.

Special emphasis was given to development and support of Russia’s small and medium-sized businesses in a new economic environment, and to the interaction between business and authorities in the Eurasian economic space currently under construction. According to Mr. Yermakov, the Economic Development Ministry provides certain opportunities to business, but small and medium-sized businesses have difficulties in using them. At present, a few draft bills are being worked on, which will supposedly protect entrepreneurs from unfair trials. Another topic of discussion nowadays is practicability of insurance deductions.

Nearly all Congress speakers concurred that one of the most important challenges today is lack of qualified talent involved in production and management. After Russia’s accession to the WTO, it’s become a major problem, because it’s only quite recently that training of international trade specialists has started in Russia. The International Business Center “Russia in the WTO” based at Moscow’s World Trade Center is one of the most important facilities that provide educational and consulting services in the field. According to Mr. Sazanov, one of the key features that distinguish the center is maximum practical orientation of its workshops for public servants and members of the business community. The center runs its workshops both in the capital and in various regions across the country.

The meeting of a section called “How to build your business strategy in a WTO-regulated environment” was moderated by Roman Gubenko, director of the International Business Center “Russia in the WTO.” The attendees discussed protective measures for domestic manufacturers, specific features of different industries, types of government support, and an export support information system.