European business votes for free economic zone from Lisbon to Vladivostok

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On Tuesday in the German capital ended the international economic conference Еast forum Berlin. This young two-day event runs from the 2013 year. Today the forum gathered a record number of participants - more than 400 politicians, officials, businessmen from 40 countries. The focus of the discussions was the “dialogue on the topic of a common economic space from Lisbon to Vladivostok,” the “New Silk Road” project and cooperation with China were also discussed.

EU asking to return to partnership with Russia

The key to the forum was set by the head of the Eastern Committee of the German Economy, Wolfgang Büchele. He said before the conference: “The EU and Russia should build new relationships of trust and return to partnership. We look forward to the resumption of negotiations with the Eurasian Economic Union and Russia on the unification of standards, norms and customs regulations. This economic dialogue may also lead to detente in the Ukrainian crisis. ”

Against the background of rampant anti-Russian hysteria in the West, Büchel’s statement seems unexpected. In fact, the Berlin conference was originally conceived as a platform for creating a single economic distance from Lisbon to Vladivostok. This was recalled by one of the organizers of the event, the head of the UniCredit host council, Giuseppe Vita.

In recent years, politics has seriously broken business plans. There was a cooling of relations between Russia and the European Union, the cause of which was not only the Ukrainian conflict, but, as one of the conference participants put it, and the fact that Russia “redefines its role” in the world. Previous economic ties have complicated sanctions and counter sanctions. The idea of ​​a big Europe from Lisbon to Vladivostok began to turn into a beautiful, almost unattainable dream.

However, it is not forgotten. First, because the sanctions, according to the forum participants, hampered economic development throughout Europe. Secondly, the project from the very beginning was promising for business. He was mostly guilty of those European politicians who are concerned about the strengthening of Russia. And the project of Greater Europe noticeably raises the role of Russia in the world.

Business is generally satisfied. Therefore, in the days of the conference every positive was caught here. newswhether it be a meeting of a contact group in Minsk or the restoration of the work of the Russia-NATO Council. Such moments brought the parties closer to cooperation, and they welcomed this at the forum.

The mood at the Berlin conference materialized in concrete figures. Wolfgang Büchele, head of the Eastern Committee of the German economy, Giuseppe Sconyamillo, vice president of UniCredit bank, and Yvonne Bollow, head of the international department of the Metro Group concern, reported on them at the final meeting. They presented the results of the traditional survey of participants, who first of all evaluated the relations between Russia and the EU.

According to the survey, 81% of participants in the economic forum supports the creation of a free trade zone from Lisbon to Vladivostok, and 70% requires closer cooperation between the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union in the energy sector.

Expressed in Berlin and their attitude to the sanctions regime. Here the picture is not so definite. About 35% of respondents expect to cancel the sanctions regime already this year, 27,5% in the next, and 38% are confident that sanctions will continue in the coming years.

They also answered the question about the main obstacles for doing business in Russia at the forum. The conference participants named corruption, inadequate government policies, bureaucracy, protectionism, and a weak legal system. On the Russian side, these claims were listened to by the First Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation Alexei Likhachev and Director General of Gazprom Export Elena Burmistrova. Perhaps, in the framework of economic conferences held in Russia, they will react to the criticism of European businessmen. The most significant of the nearest forums is expected in the summer in St. Petersburg.

On the example of a British company

There, the Russians will say their word. They have a special account for Europe. It concerns, among other things, the sanctions, which, whatever one may say, were introduced by Europe after all. And it is she who is responsible for the tension that has arisen in relations between the EU and Russia. Experts assess the impact of sanctions on the Russian economy in different ways. For example, according to the chief economist of Citigroup for Russia and the CIS, Ivan Chakarov, last year's GDP decline only by 10% was provoked by Western sanctions, the remaining 90% was caused by a fall in oil prices.

Daniel Gross and Frédéric Mustilli of the Center for European Policy Studies made an analysis of the losses of companies in Europe. They noted that the EU share in Russian imports remained stable until the end of 2014. Then dropped to 37%. Now export of goods from the EU to Russia is estimated at less than $ 500 million per month. Moreover, after the introduction of sanctions, the share of the US in Russian imports increased by 10%.

European farmers suffered the most. History with Polish apples on everyone's lips. Here is an example of their Hungarian neighbors. Not so long ago, at a meeting with St. Petersburg Governor Georgy Poltavchenko, Minister of Foreign Economic Relations and Foreign Affairs of Hungary Peter Siyarto admitted that the imposition of sanctions against Russia had a negative impact on the economy of his country. The turnover here fell by 4,5 billion dollars. A similar story can be told by many Siyarto European colleagues.

For Russia, the main damage was caused by the closure of foreign capital markets. As noted in their article published in Voprosy Ekonomiki, representatives of the Economic Expert Group Evsey Gurvich and Ilya Prilepsky, the financial sanctions of the West have had an effect “in the form of a reduction in foreign direct investment, a reduction in the possibilities for borrowing companies and banks that have not fallen under sanctions capital market debt. If in the pre-sated 2013, Russian issuers attracted $ 46,4 billion through Eurobonds, in 2014, only $ 10,4 billion, and in 2015, just over $ 5 billion. ”

As you can see, no one won from the sanctions. However, the companies that continued to work in Russia did not remain in value. The most striking example here is last year's results of the British company BP. According to Bloomberg experts, the oil and gas giant "has found a true paradise in Russia with its low taxes and low operating costs."

Participation in the capital of Rosneft became the main success factor for BP. Dividends from its shares in 2015 made up 22 as a percentage of the income of a British company in Russia. The opposite situation was observed in the United States, which account for about 28 percent of the total volume of oil and natural gas produced by BP. As reported by TASS, the British company reported here a loss of 1,6 billion dollars.

This is public information. With her familiar and European business. It is not by chance that, contrary to the anti-Russian rhetoric of politicians, representatives of European business circles are already insisting on restoring full-fledged economic cooperation with Russia. Indicative in this regard was the forum held in the German capital. He clearly stated the claims of the European business on a common economic space from Lisbon to Vladivostok. Obstacles on this path are still sanctions and the anti-Russian position of European officials. But the voice of business Europe is getting louder and more concrete ...
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24 comments
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  1. +20
    April 22 2016 06: 12
    Well, no ... I’ve died, I’ve died (the former relationship). We do not need any "free" zones (destroying our economy).
    1. +17
      April 22 2016 07: 42
      They constantly try to hammer into our heads that we are suffering from sanctions. Hell no! We only gain from sanctions. Our landowners are winning, industry has stepped up. Where do we suffer? Fat Bankers Suffer? And to hell with these moneylenders. We do not need cancellation of functions, we will live and only become stronger.
    2. +4
      April 22 2016 08: 12
      Quote: dmi.pris
      We do not need any "free" zones (destroying our economy).

      "81% of the participants in the economic forum support the creation of a free trade zone from Lisbon to Vladivostok"

      "About 35% of those polled expect the sanctions regime to be lifted this year, 27,5% next year, and 38% are confident that the sanctions will continue in the coming years."


      What, however, are cunning European friends. No.
    3. +2
      April 22 2016 10: 08
      European business votes for a free economic zone from Lisbon to Vladivostok "
      ... yes, it is also PROTECTION from the US-imposed transatlantic trade partnership, in which Europeans are in a clear loss to America ..
      ..USA has recently created a trans-Pacific trade partnership ..with 35 countries in that region, but without CHINA and RUSSIA ....
      .. Having created such a trans-Atlantic, they will completely reformat the economy of the world for their loved ones ... and thus solve their economic problems .. at the expense of the whole world again
      1. 0
        April 22 2016 11: 34
        Is it really so hard to live within our means? Either the authors of the economy are not saying anything, or things are really bad in the US economy, since they can only live off constantly expanding foreign markets. Very similar to a drug addict constantly increasing the dose.
    4. 0
      April 22 2016 12: 20
      Already read Gorbachev’s mujin on this topic. - Nah!
  2. +3
    April 22 2016 06: 18
    Businessmen do not like dictates from behind puddles, they want to decide for themselves with whom they do business and how.
    1. +3
      April 22 2016 06: 52
      Whose businessmen? ... wink
  3. +5
    April 22 2016 06: 33
    “The EU and Russia must build new trusts and return to partnership.

    They crawl, and more than once on their knees. But, I think, the door for them will now be much narrower (emphasis on Y).
    This economic dialogue may also lead to detente in the Ukrainian crisis. ”

    But this is very, very doubtful. Until several generations change, along with their electorate, and with the condition that we accept as equal partners in the economy, and good neighbors ... But this is already from a series of sky-high dreams. In the coming many, many years we will be for the ukronatsists, enemies number 1.
  4. +1
    April 22 2016 06: 46
    For starters .. even though the PROJECT was laid out somewhere .. and the main points ... In addition to the business and the people of Russia it’s generally interesting!
  5. +6
    April 22 2016 07: 01
    "Free economic ..." - it turns out again: Russians, buy our goods, we (Europeans) need to live and get rich, no, we don't need such an alignment, in the next five years Russia needs to keep the counter-sanctions regime, our economy began to rebuild into the benefit of domestic producers, and very good. Yes, and where was this European business two years ago - quietly said nothing. European countries are not independent in their decisions, today one thing, tomorrow another, how can you trust them?
  6. +3
    April 22 2016 07: 30
    European business is profitable. And Russia?
    1. +1
      April 22 2016 09: 46
      Quote: Million
      European business is profitable. And Russia?

      And Russia is not profitable for everything that is beneficial to European business.
      For European business is always beneficial only that which is not beneficial to Russia.
      But large Russian business is profitable when it is not profitable for the country.
      And the Russian people suffer from the benefits of big business, because the meaning of the benefits of large Russian business is to infringe on the interests of the people and the country. What the Straight Line clearly showed. The profit of the business is non-payment of salaries, low salaries, tax evasion, capital withdrawal from the country, increased levies from the population in view of the increase in housing and communal services tariffs. Moreover, if tariff growth is limited, then part of the service that was included in the tariff is now paid separately.
      We need to protect the country from the interests of foreign business, from the interests of large Russian business and the decisions they lobby in government agencies.
  7. +5
    April 22 2016 07: 30
    To lift the sanctions? Never!!!!! The decline in imports is a direct path to the development of our own production base. But it is possible to allow the import of machine tool technology, mechanical engineering, instrument automation. It is technology, not the machines themselves and the software.
  8. +2
    April 22 2016 07: 32
    But the voice of business Europe is getting louder and more specific ...

    The voice can and is getting louder, only politicians do not want to listen to this voice. Until the "main voice" from Washington is sounded, there will be no progress. The main thing is for us to be firm and not to make unilateral concessions, as has happened before on some issues.
  9. +2
    April 22 2016 08: 07
    The West is not our partner, it’s a sharpie who constantly rewrites the rules for himself.
  10. +2
    April 22 2016 08: 28
    Western business is looking for its only benefit.
    They rolled their lips to Vladivostok ...
    But does Russia need this now?
    It is better for our country to act selectively. Now that economic sanctions have been introduced against us, this is entirely possible and necessary.
    It is necessary to put the mongrel USA in its place ...
  11. 0
    April 22 2016 09: 38
    There is only one conclusion from the foregoing, we must think carefully before agreeing to free cooperation. These Europeans have seven Fridays a week.
  12. 0
    April 22 2016 10: 06
    If there is a single economic space from Lisbon to Vladivostok, then the same thing will happen with Russia as with Ukraine.
    This will be a country that will be kicked for corruption, where people will die out, because will not be able to pay utility bills despite the fact that the climate in the country is harsh and the necessary energy will be exported, but will not be available to most citizens of the country.
    That is why this common economic space is needed to finally make the Russian Federation a colony.
  13. +2
    April 22 2016 10: 57
    I am from Vladivostok. So we have this mantra giggle: "a single economic space from Lisbon to Vladivostok." And why not actually from Vladivostok to Lisbon?)) It looks so prettier.))
  14. 0
    April 22 2016 12: 01
    Join the Russian Federation as a republic - there will be a zone for you.
  15. 0
    April 22 2016 20: 00
    Unfortunately, we all won’t accept that we don’t have friends, we have only interests. Here we have to choose partners for the period of specific interests. Otherwise, they will crush us with our mentality.
  16. 0
    April 22 2016 20: 25
    Yes, an interesting topic. End-to-end route from Brest to Vladivostok. With arrivals in China and departure from Berlin. Only there is a small wormhole in it. Everything is fine, if ....... And IF someone does not pour a jar of oil-) (Have you read Bulgakov ??) But in fact, this whole structure rests only on the enthusiasm of its organizers. Tomorrow, Uncle Vanya will fall into Nyurengi and the arrows will switch and everyone will get up ......... We must also support the regions along which the route will pass, otherwise the switchman will fall off and crutches on the roads.
  17. 0
    April 22 2016 20: 44
    To lift the sanctions? Never!!!!! The decline in imports is a direct path to the development of our own production base. But it is possible to allow the import of machine tool technology, mechanical engineering, instrument automation. It is technology, not the machines themselves and the software.

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