23
Russia - France
How do you see the future of bilateral
trading relations? What will be the
main lines of work of economic
service that you head?
The major line of work of the econo-
mic service remains the Economic,
Financial, Industrial and Commercial
Council (CEFIC), which has started
meeting again periodically since
January 2016.
This mixed bilateral committee ena-
bles twelve sectoral working groups
(in energy, intellectual property,
urban services, etc.) to work toge-
ther.
On the occasion of the visit of
Emmanuel Macron, the President of
France, during the Saint Petersburg
International Economic Forum, the
two ministries in charge of over-
seeing the CEFIC, the French
Ministry of Economy and Finances
and the Russian Ministry of Economic
Development, signed a joint declaration
about the
‘new Franco-Russian
partnership for the economy of
tomorrow’
, which aims at making
special efforts in new fields of coope-
ration and joint projects.
There are four of these new
fields: health, work productivity and
innovation, new mobilities and eco-
nomic responses to climate change.
The French president’s visit to Russia
enabled economic ties to be consoli-
dated and the future to be seen with
trust.
Emmanuel Macron spoke during
the plenary meeting as well as
during conclusion of the Franco-
Russian round table that brought
together entrepreneurs from both
countries.
Furthermore, there were two other
round tables during this forum, one
about the industry of the future and
the other about the Trianon Dialogue,
a Franco-Russian civil society forum
which this year chose the sustainable
city as its topic.
Around fifty trading cultural, institu-
tional agreements were also signed
on this occasion.
In the current situation, and despite
the uncertainties created by the sanc-
tions for a certain number of French
companies, I remain optimistic about
the future of bilateral relations.
French companies are investing in a
variety of sectors, there are many
trade delegations and I have no
doubt about the interest that French
companies can have in the Russian
market.
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Agroalimentaire sone of the sectors that offermajor oublets for french companies in Russia.
