112
RUSSIA - FRANCE
I participated directly in the creation
o f t h e Ru s s i a n Ch amb e r o f
Commerce, I have been there since
the beginning and I can confirm that
a very long distance has been covered
since then.
We plunged into the market econo-
my, which meant starting from
scratch for us. We had to set up an
institution to assist the progress of
free enterprise, when in reality such
a thing scarcely existed, as the
former economy had collapsed and
the new one was still in its infancy.
Today, the CCIRF is the largest
association in the business world in
Russia. When the working day is just
starting inMoscow, it has already finis-
hed in the East, on the Pacific coast.
With more than 17 million square
kilometres, 1/8 of the area of the Earth
and 9 time zones in just one country,
it is difficult to comprehend the
complexity of the task. How do you
communicate with your colleagues in
the East of Russia?
We have to get up two hours before
the usual time to contact our collea-
gues. More seriously, it is not the
most complicated thing to do in the
Internet era. The CCI network has
more than 180 regional and municipal
chambers.
They are naturally autonomous
concerning the activities in their
regions. Being a member of the CCI
is optional. More than 53,000 compa-
nies and individual entrepreneurs are
members of the CCIFR, as well as
some 200 unions, associations and
guilds: bakers, dairies, building
contractors, farmers, jewellers,
metal workers, mechanics, weavers,
etc.
Around thirty committees and coun-
cils of the CCIFR deal with the largest
fields of production and business.
SMEs and large companies are
represented. SMEs are predominant.
Some 74 councils for cooperation
with foreign countries deal with the
development of external economic
activities, and the CCIFR is represen-
ted by its offices in around forty
foreign countries.
What is your main task?
Knowing how to represent and
defend the interests of companies in
front of the authorities, on condition
that these interests are not in conflict
with those of society as a whole.
The head office of the CCIFR is 5minu-
tes from the Kremlin on foot. Is this
an advantage?
We are close geographically. But the
chamber of commerce is by definition
a non-governmental, non-commercial
and independent institution.
We work together with the authori-
ties, but exclusively in the interest of
the development of companies.
Today, there are many challenges to
tackle in Russia, and companies,
above all SMEs, face very many
problems in their existence and
their activities. But companies exist,
and they develop. This is our main
ambition.
Our responsibilities concern all the
fields of business, industry, domestic
and international trade, agriculture,
finance and services. An Interna-
tional Court of Arbitration for trade
and a Committee of Maritime
Arbitration carry out their activities
with the CCIFR. These institutions
have a very good reputation.
For example, the International Court
of Arbitration for trade deals with
more case files than the correspon-
ding and very renowned courts in
London and Stockholm.
How does the CCIFR cooperate with
legislators in this field?
Some 90 economic laws were adop-
ted by our Parliament in 2017 and
were drawn up with the participation
of the CCIFR. The assessment of bills
for legal standards costs us a lot of
time and effort.
We appraise the possible impact of
new standards on business, with the
hypothesis of their approval, to see if
they improve their management or,
on the contrary, they create more
handicaps. Many rules hindering the
management of business were exclu-
ded from bills during their drafting
stage, as a result of our unfavourable
opinions. Unfortunately, we do not
succeed every time.
Last year, we made criticisms about
some 150 bills and 60 of them were
revised. I consider that this result is
sufficiently positive. It is our real
contribution to progress in the field of
business.
The Russian sanctions and counter-
sanctions are a topic that is oftenmen-
tioned. What was the most detrimen-
tal in your opinion? With what
challenges for western companies?
Concerning the inconveniences
resulting from our counter-sanctions,
it is up to the Western which were
affected to speak about them. For our
companies, the limitation of access to
the international market of loans was
the most detrimental point during
the first months that followed the
anti-Russian sanctions.
Undoubtedly, it is detrimental to
cause damage to each another worth
billions and billions for years. But
this was not our choice. The Russian
economy has already adapted to this
and economic growth has recovered.
It is a great pity, that the United
States has made sanctions a method
of unfair competition to win the
European and worldwide energy
market. But this is not the greatest
obstacle. What is most annoying is
that the atmosphere of trust that we
had taken decades to create with the
West is endangered. It is a very bad
lesson. The two parties only now
accept to cooperate after they have
taken excessive precautions.
©Olga355 - AdobeStock
>
Peter the Great.
