During the forum the Chairman of the AEB Board Philippe Pegorier and the AEB CEO Frank Schauff met the Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation Denis Manturov and governmental representatives from the Sverdlovsk region. 

On 9 July the AEB organised a round table entitled: “European technologies for productivity gain in industry”. The topics discussed included the problem of rapidly growing expenses, labour costs, “Dutch disease” and priorities in selecting technologies that boost labour productivity. The Chairman of the Working Group on Modernization and Innovations, Member of the Board of the Association of European Businesses, and Vice President of ABB Russia Michael Akim moderated the event. The speakers included: the Director of the Strategic Development Department of the Ministry of Trade & Industry of the RF  Vasily Osmakov, the President of Siemens Russia and Central Asia Dietrich Moeller, the Director of the Industry Development Fund Alexey Komissarov, Counsellor and Head of the Economy, Finance and Science Division, Embassy of Switzerland in the RF Julien Thöni and others.  

On 10 July, the AEB co-organised the round table entitled: "Boosting labour productivity on construction sites and in infrastructure projects: the European business experience". The speakers analysed the possibility of increasing productivity in these sectors and reviewed the application of European technologies and practices in order to achieve the highest global standards for industrial productivity.  The Chairman of the Working Group on Modernization and Innovations, Member of the Board of the Association of European Businesses, and Vice President of ABB Russia Michael Akim also moderated the round table. The speakers included: the Minister of Construction and Infrastructure Development of the Sverdlovsk Region Sergey Bidonko, Corporative Director of WordSkills Russia, Agency for Strategic Initiatives Natalya Vikhrova, the Business Development and Investment Director at YIT Artak Makaryan, and others.   

Photos are produced by Formika