On November 29, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation Sergey Katyrin met with the Ambassador of the Netherlands to Russia Gilles Beschoor Plug.
“We must make more active use of the existing tools of interaction with the Netherlands and develop new ones. Everything related to the economy is very important for us. And this knowledge could motivate our colleagues in the regions, who could better understand in what areas it is possible to work. We can exchange information on every day basis,” - said Sergei Katyrin.
The Netherlands ranks third in the world among the leading trade partners of Russia after China and Germany, and second in Europe after Germany.
The President of the Chamber met with the Ambassador of the Netherlands for the first time in the history of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation.
The President of the Chamber told the head of the Dutch diplomatic mission in detail about the opportunities of the Chamber and its subdivisions such as Expocentre, which allows holding meetings and seminars for foreign business partners. Mr.Katyrin noted that various foreign embassies, banks and companies take part in such meetings. The President of the Chamber drew the attention of the Ambassador of the Netherlands to the possibilities of the Chamber for work in the regions of Russia. The Chamber has 180 regional chambers of commerce and industry and a total of 350 points of presence, he said.
The Ambassador of the Netherlands noted that in recent years, bilateral trade indicators are recovering with a gradual return to the previous level. The Ambassador said that the delegation of the Netherlands took part in the St. Petersburg Economic Forum and next year would like to increase the composition of its delegation not only in St. Petersburg, but also in other forums and conferences. The Ambassador also drew attention to a number of problems of concern to the Dutch business community, in particular, related to the legislation on the localization of production.
Answering the question of the Ambassador of the Netherlands about what changes have occurred in the activities of the Chamber over the past 10 years, since he headed the Chamber, Mr. Katyrin noted that it has become closer to the regions, closer to business. “We have reached a different level of relationship with the government and parliament,” Mr. Katyrin emphasized. Since then, the State Duma of the Russian Federation has made three changes to the legislation on the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, especially with regard to the role of the Chamber in the event of force majeure circumstances in business, the President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation said.
The Ambassador of the Netherlands was interested in the question of the extent to which the Chamber is involved in the development of new legislation in the field of business. According to Mr.Katyrin, about 800 such documents have been reviewed by the Chamber in the past year alone.
The Ambassador of the Netherlands, Gilles Beshoor Plug, asked about the participation of the Chamber in addressing environmental and sustainable development issues, which are given great attention in Europe and in his country in particular. In this regard, Mr. Katyrin said that there are two committees in the Chamber: on nature management and ecology and on the development of a circular economy. According to him, over the past 5 years, the country’s president and parliament have been actively involved in the “green economy”, a public-law company “Russian ecological operator” has been created.
“Organization of waste processing and circulation is not an easy process,” noted the head of the Chamber. “The population is used to lumping everything into one heap and therefore the solution of this issue requires a change in psychology,” Mr. Katyrin said, drawing attention to the experience accumulated for decades in these issues in European countries. “In our country there are achievements in the processing of tires, which are used in road construction, in matters of plastic processing, but many issues still require new legislation,” he said. “In fact, a new branch of the economy is being created,”- said Mr. Katyrin.
In this regard, the Ambassador of the Netherlands expressed his country's willingness to help develop this new waste recycling industry and create a “green economy” in Russia. Reacting to the ambassador's remark, Mr. Katyrin urged Dutch investors to hurry up. “The first investors have to be the first,” - he said.
The meeting was attended by Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation Vladimir Padalko, Director of the Department of External Relations Alexander Kopkov and Nora Dessing, Trade and Economic Counselor at the Embassy of the Netherlands.
By Peter Cheremushkin, Press Service of the Chamber
