OREANDA-NEWS. On results of the research performed by Expert RA Group of Rating Agencies the investment appeal rating of our republic has grown. Besides, among the 83 Russian regions our republic is the 7th on transparency of investment markets and the 19th best on development of public and private partnership.

A detailed conversation on what has already been done and what will be done to draw investors to the region took place on July, 31 at the session of the Government of the republic held by Head of Karelia Alexander Khudilainen.

Today the regional list totals 77 large investment projects which already launched or planned to be implemented in the republic before 2015. Last year there have been introduced 32 new projects. The volume of investments into the fixed capital of Karelia in 2012 has made 32,1 billion roubles, or 101% to the level of 2011. 20 large investment projects have been completed, 3,5 thousand new jobs have been created.

Improvement of the investment climate was promoted by a number of measures taken by the regional authority and presented by Valentin Chmil, Deputy Head of the Republic of Karelia and Minister of Economic Development of the Republic of Karelia.

First of all, the regulatory and legal framework of investment activity has been created and is being improved, the system of stimulus and privileges has been developed for investors, the system of institutes of mobilization of investments has been formed. Regional coordination bodies function to help investors solve their problems related to implementation of projects. Each investment project has an attached official responsible for its support. Besides, the system of institutions for mobilization of investments is formed, the complex of branding actions on formation of the investment image of the region with use of means of increasing information transparency for investors is performed.

Meanwhile, instability of investment development in the republic remains due to infrastructural restrictions, lack of own financial resources, deficiency of qualified workers and narrowness of Russian commodity markets. In view of these factors work in the coming years will be also focused on development of congenial investment climate.

In particular, for mobilization of investments into the region the new mechanism of creation of zones of territorial development in territory of Karelia will be used. In such zones it is supposed to develop congenial conditions through granting measures of the state support: special legal regime of pursuit of entrepreneurship and other economic activities, certain preferences in the field of the tax legislation and land laws.

A priority aspect of activity in the sphere of investments will be introduction of the Activities Standard of Executive Bodies of the Region for maintenance of congenial investment climate. The Standard provides presence of 15 components which enable improvement of investment climate in the republic essentially and provide growth of the inflow of investments. Among these components there are approval of the investment strategy of the region, formation of the annually updated Plan of creation of investment objects and objects of infrastructure, presence of uniform rules of support of investment projects on the “one contact” principle, etc.

Introduction of the Standard, creation of the zone of territorial development and implementation of a complex of regional measures on development of public infrastructure by 2018 will make it possible to reduce the influence of the factors constraining investment development of Karelia essentially.

As a whole in 2012-2017 it is planned to involve 350 billion roubles in the economy of the republic. During implementation of investment projects creation and modernization of more than 18 thousand jobs is supposed.

Growth of volumes of investments into economy will be also promoted by creation of technoparks. As Alexander Khudilainen informed, the arrangement on support of Karelia in this sphere on behalf of the Bank for Foreign Economic Activity has been reached. Ministry of Economic Development of the republic is charged to prepare within one month proposals and documents on creation of industrial technopartks in the region.

Head of the republic has also paid attention to the necessity to render real support to each investor coming to the republic when it concerns phases of coordination of the project.

As Yuri Saveliev, Director of the Institute of Economic Studies of the Karelian Research Center of the Russian Academy of Science, observed, the main thing that has been done in the republic to improve its investment climate is setting up this work in a system. However, it is necessary to stir up investment activity at the level of local self-government, to develop small and medium business more actively. Concerning these issues the Institute of Economic Studies is ready to render assistance to the Government of the republic.