The annual meeting is one of the activities organized under the frame of the Agreement of Cooperation signed between the AEB and the Government of the Leningrad Region during the International Economic Forum in June, 2017. This time the event was organized in cooperation with All-Russia public organization “Business Russia” and as usually supported by the Consulate General of the Netherlands in St. Petersburg.

In the beginning of the meeting Andreas Bitzi, the Chair of the AEB North-Western Regional Committee, presented the results of the annual survey, implemented by the AEB among the European resident companies in Leningrad Region. The survey aims at revealing the overall business mood of the European investors in the Leningrad Region, as well as gives them opportunity to provider proposals on the improvement of the investment climate in the region. The survey results revealed a general positive trend over the past 4 years in the investors’ attitude towards development of the investment climate in the region and the work of the investment team of the Government of LO with foreign investors.

Further, a panel discussion took place with participation of the investment team of the Government of the LO. Dmitry Yalov,  the Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Leningrad Region, Chairman of the Committee for Economic Development and Investment Activities, Anton Finogenov, the First Deputy Chair of the  Committee on Economic Development and Investment Policy, Andrei Sergeev, the Director of the “Economic Development Agency of the Leningrad Region” (AERLO), and Olga Volkova, Head of Export Support Center, ANO "Center for Industrial Development of the Leningrad Region" took part in the discussion. The second part of the panel discussion was organized with participation of such European investors in the region as PMI, Jotun, Lorenz Snack-World Russia Production in Kirishi, Nokian Tyres, and Bank “St. Petersburg”. 

The participants had a unique opportunity to ask questions to the respective representatives of the LO investment team and get answers and first-hand information.

The event was moderated by Anton Rassadin (BSH Bytowyje Pribory, the Deputy Chair of the AEB North-Western Regional Committee), and co-moderated by Dmitry Panov (Chairman of the St. Petersburg regional branch, APRO “Business Russia”) and Alexander Shchelkanov (Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Export and Import, ARPO “Business Russia”)

After the meeting the participants were able to network during the closing reception.

Results of the Annual Survey: