Business programme

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24.05.2023

08:00–09:00

Olympus Hall, 1st floor, meeting room 2

The EAEU Internal Market, Cooperation in Customs, Competition, and State Procurement Business breakfast

The EAEU’S Domestic Market: Challenges and Development Prospects

by invitation only

It would be fully justified to refer to the current period as one of the most difficult in the history of the Eurasian Economic Union. On the one hand, it is characterized by colossal economic turbulence and destruction of the norms of international law. However, on the other hand, we are witnessing the start of a new and progressive era of self-sufficient development within the EAEU. Ensuring stable economic growth for union member states is a key issue, and one which requires boosting and further consolidating efforts across a range of areas. These include deepening integration processes (including in terms of ensuring the effective operation of the internal market), improving existing mechanisms for removing obstacles and preventing new ones, and identifying new solutions to protect the four freedoms.

Topics for discussion:
• The four freedoms: real accomplishments and medium-term prospects
• A common and/or single market for the EAEU: key issues related to improving law in the union in the midst of today’s challenges
• Restrictions to trade in goods: rethinking approaches to implementation and regulation
• Efforts to ensure freedom to provide services: achievements to date and areas of focus for the future
• Controlling the movement of goods in the domestic market: assessing the effectiveness of
integration projects and mechanisms
• Removing barriers: the soft power of mediation
• A single digital economic space for the EAEU: objectives, problems, and solutions
• The potential to eliminate barriers caused by economic factors: a pipe dream or realistic prospect? Measures and mechanisms
• The role of the judiciary in ensuring that markets within intergovernmental organizations continue to function

Front row participants:

Alesya Abramenko — Deputy Minister of Economy of the Republic of Belarus

Dmitry Volvach — Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation

Timur Zharkenov — Deputy Chairman, Member of the Board, "Atameken" National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Janelle Kushukova — Vice Minister of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Nazarbek Malaev — Deputy Minister of Economy and Commerce of the Kyrgyz Republic

Venera Seitimova — Judge, Court of the Eurasian Economic Union

Varos Simonyan — Member of the Board (Minister) for Internal Markets, Informatization, Information and Communication Technologies, Eurasian Economic Commission

24.05.2023

09:00–10:30

Olympus Hall , −2nd floor, Small Conference Hall

Eurasian Collectiveness Broadcast

Digital Transformation of the EAEU

One strategic aspect of Eurasian integration is the creation of a single digital space, along with shared infrastructures and ecosystems within the EAEU. Today, EAEU member states are implementing digital programmes aimed at developing information and communication technologies, digital public services, trade, and consumer rights protection for products offered on the digital market. It has become important to synchronize actions taken by EAEU member states to develop an integrated information system for the union. Doing so will make it possible to build a reliable digital framework supporting freedom of movement within the union for goods, services, capital, and labour. A number of issues are key when it comes to the development of Eurasian integration. These include approved measures and new priorities in implementing the union’s digital agenda, working together to strengthen digital sovereignty, and creating a common data processing market as a means of fostering all areas of integration-related cooperation, proceeding upon a safe and stable foundation. The development of the data economy and implementation of projects on the digital agenda are similarly of great importance.

Topics for discussion:
• The current state of the EAEU’s digital agenda and new priorities
• State regulation of the IT industry as a means of achieving digital development. New national legislative developments
• The EAEU’s dependence on imports of software and telecommunications equipment
• The market for developments and practical solutions in individual EAEU member states. Best practice and sharing leading expertise
• Processing personal data in the EAEU

Moderator:

Gegham Vardanyan — Head, Group of Advanced Technologies

Panellists:

Andrei Zarenin — Deputy Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation (online)

Askhat Orazbek — Vice Minister of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Avet Poghosyan — Deputy Minister of High Tech Industry of the Republic of Armenia

Varos Simonyan — Member of the Board (Minister) for Internal Markets, Informatization, Information and Communication Technologies, Eurasian Economic Commission

Pavel Tkach — First Deputy Minister of Communications and Informatization of the Republic of Belarus

Indira Sharshenova — Deputy Minister of Digital Development of the Kyrgyz Republic

24.05.2023

09:00–10:30

Olympus Hall, 1st floor, Roundtable Hall

The EAEU Internal Market, Cooperation in Customs, Competition, and State Procurement Broadcast

Ex-Ante vs Ex-Post Regulation of Competition, Collusion in State Procurement, and Digital Transformation

When it comes to regulating digital markets, a number of different approaches are possible. Selecting the correct one requires striking a balance between preserving growth incentives; upholding competition; and protecting the interests of consumers/users, government, and society. If the regulator does not pay sufficient attention to digital markets, monopolies can quickly emerge. However, if regulation is too strict, the quality and competitiveness of services may decline, and there may be less incentive to develop innovative products. Adapting to today’s digital realities, businesses are now using information technology to commit offences. In order to successfully combat today’s cartels, anti-monopoly bodies are implementing digital technology to identify deals which break competition rules. When it comes to state procurement, increasing the level of digitalization (including facilitating interaction between procurement systems and other information systems and resources) brings numerous benefits. It reduces administrative barriers and burdens for businesses bidding in state procurement processes. The Competition Division, working together with EAEU member states, has drafted a list of steps to take towards the full digitalization of state procurement processes within the union. This includes aspects related to mutual recognition of bank guarantees and digital signatures.

Topics for discussion:
• Ex-ante vs ex-post regulation of digital markets: the experience of the Eurasian Economic Commission, international experience, and the position of the Court of the EAEU
• The use of digital tools to identify collusion in bids
• Digitalizing the state procurement process

Moderator:

Aleksey Ivanov — Director, HSE – Skolkovo Institute for Law and Development, International BRICS Competition Law and Policy Centre, National Research University Higher School of Economics

Panellists:

Erna Hayriyan — Chairman, Court of the Eurasian Economic Union

Mary Gurure — Manager for Legal Services and Compliance of the Competition Commission, Competition Commission of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)

Elena Zaeva — Head of Communications and Information Technology Regulation Department, Federal Antimonopoly Service of the Russian Federation (FAS Russia)

Ulugbek Kalenderov — Deputy Minister of Finance of the Kyrgyz Republic

Farrukh Karabaev — Deputy Chairman, Competition Promotion and Сonsumer Protection Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan

Denis Kolos — Judge, Court of the Eurasian Economic Union

Alexey Lavrov — Deputy Finance Minister of the Russian Federation

Teresa Moreira — Head of the Competition and Consumer Policies Branch, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) (online)

Shushan Sargsyan — Member, Commission for Protection of Competition of the Republic of Armenia (online)

Bakhyt Sultanov — Member of the Board (Minister) for Competition and Antimonopoly Regulation, Eurasian Economic Commission

Aleksey Sushkevich — Director of the Department for Antitrust Regulation, Eurasian Economic Commission

Nurzhan Urankhaev — Head of Department of the Agency for Protection and Development of Competition of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the Almaty City

Mukhamed Khamukov — Deputy Head of Department for Interaction with Government Authorities, Ozon

Kai Jia — Assistant professor, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (USETC)

Maksim Shaskolsky — Head, Federal Antimonopoly Service of the Russian Federation (FAS Russia)

Tadzio Schilling — Chief Executive Officer, Association of European Businesses (АЕВ)

24.05.2023

09:00–10:30

Olympus Hall, 1st floor, hall 1

Human Capital Broadcast

Discovering Eurasia

In accordance with the Strategic Directions for Developing the Eurasian Economic Integration until 2025, which was approved by the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council on 11 December 2020, tourism is one of the main areas of economic cooperation. In the world economy, tourism is one of the most dynamic and highly profitable industries, but it is experiencing a downturn everywhere due to the crises of recent years. The potential of Eurasian integration could be a factor for overcoming the crises in the industry. Each EAEU country has its own specifics and advantages, a special history and natural potential, unique tourist sites, and a rich cultural heritage. Utilizing the tools of a unified services market, as well as the implementation of the Strategic Directions for Developing the Eurasian Economic Integration until 2025, will not only ensure an overall increase in the income of the member nations, but also create additional opportunities for the development of their economies.

Issues to be discussed:
• Eurasian tourist routes for citizens of EAEU and third countries
• Interaction among EAEU member states on quality standards for tourism services
• Concept of tourism development within the EAEU

Moderator:

Aleksandr Osaulenko — Vice-President, Russian Union of Travel Industry; Director, "Association of Tour Operators in Outbound Tourism "TURPOMOSCH"

Panellists:

Mekhak Apresyan — Head, Tourism Federation of Armenia (online)

Dmitry Vakhrukov — Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation

Philip Huly — Chairman of the Board, Republican Union of Tourism Industry

Inna Ray — Chairman, Corporate Fund "Touristik Kamkor"

Shana Fatina — President Director, Implementing Agency of Labuan Bajo Flores Tourism Authority

Samat Shatmanov — Deputy Minister of Culture, Information, Sports and Youth Policy of the Kyrgyz Republic; Director of the Department of Tourism of the Kyrgyz Republic

24.05.2023

09:00–10:30

Olympus Hall, 1st floor, hall 2

Technology and Cooperation Broadcast

New Industrial Policy: Technological Sovereignty and International Cooperation

Stable and sustainable economic growth can only be achieved with a diversified economy based on a developed real sector, and industry in particular. Until recently, major international corporations operated in an environment characterized by globalization and the free market. Most Russian companies worked in these conditions as well. However, today we are witnessing a reset in how global tech markets operate. National tech standards are emerging, and production of critical goods is being relocated. Leading nations throughout the world are developing their own industries in an attempt to better secure access to food, medicine, and other vital goods. A country’s technological sovereignty can help ensure energy and food security, supplies of commodities, transport accessibility, a reliable IT infrastructure, and smooth running of production facilities. These also continue to be key issues to Eurasian Economic Union member states. Economic growth in these countries is heavily dependent on industries focusing on natural resources, including agriculture. The EAEU nations’ economies are not fully integrated into global value chains (with the exception of the aforementioned natural resource industries). What’s more, their innovation systems are poorly developed. The union’s member states lag behind in technology, and are dependent on imports. This is having a major impact on their potential to develop further. Over the past decade, member states have had the chance to take major steps forward in their attempts to modernize. Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan, for example, now have modern digital production facilities. These play a major role in making strategically important enterprises and industries competitive. That said, the IT infrastructure and maintenance system at these sites still remains largely under the control of the global tech giants. Given this, any new industrial policy enacted by member states needs to take a fully synchronized approach to structural, technological, and organizational aspects. In order to develop new ways of developing industries, fresh consideration needs to be given to where the boundaries of technological sovereignty and building new alliances with countries lie.

Topics for discussion:
• Mechanisms for technological partnership and technological independence in the Eurasian Economic Union
• Economic efficiency as a means of addressing technological underdevelopment and reliance on imports. Creating a globally competitive product
• Realizing the concept of end-to-end inter-industry cooperation and managing it within the union’s member states
• Ways of developing technological expertise in countries with smaller economies. The potential for international institutions and organizations to help bring about structural transformations in industries based in these nations
• Priorities for investors: resources, infrastructure, or production of industrial goods, and other key issues

Moderator:

Dmitry Peskov — Head of Young Professionals Direction, Agency for Strategic Initiatives to Promote New Projects; General Director, Platform of the National Technology Initiative; Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation on Digital and Technological Development

Panellists:

Konstantin Babkin — President, Rosspetsmash Association; President, Industrial Union "New Commonwealth"

Alexander Efimov — Deputy Minister of Industry of the Republic of Belarus

Artak Kamalyan — Member of the Board, Minister in Charge of Industry and Agroindustrial Complex, Eurasian Economic Commission

Sergey Korotkov — Director, UNIDO Center for International Industrial Cooperation in the Russian Federation

Nazarbek Malaev — Deputy Minister of Economy and Commerce of the Kyrgyz Republic

Vasily Osmakov — First Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation (online)

Narek Teryan — Deputy Minister of Economy of the Republic of Armenia

Vasily Shostak — Deputy General Director for Marketing and Export Policy – Director of the Marketing Center, BELAZ – Management Company of BELAZ-HOLDING

Dinara Shcheglova — Vice Minister of Industry and Infrastructure Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan (online)

24.05.2023

09:00–10:30

Olympus Hall, 1st floor, Grand Conference Hall

Eurasian Collectiveness Broadcast

International Settlements and Digital Assets

The Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union, signed on 29 May 2014, sets out (along with a number of other programmes and concepts of the EAEU) the aim of improving payments and settlements between EAEU member states based on expanding the use of national currencies in mutual settlements. One document – the Concept for the Formation of a Common Financial Market – sets out the position that the development of a common payment space shall be based on principles of national security, independence, and equality of national payment systems. At the same time, restrictions imposed by third countries have a direct impact on the timing and cost of transnational payments. It is therefore important to ensure uninterrupted and seamless payments, both between EAEU nations in their mutual trade, and with third countries which are either key trading partners, or which have the potential to become so. This can be accomplished by employing promising financial technologies. These include digital currencies offered by central banks, smart contracts, a special accounting unit, multilateral clearing, and so on. Interstate Eurasian development institutions could play a key role in this regard. The use of new technological platforms could help establish systems which far outstrip traditional ones and ensure rapid settlements, confidentiality, and reduced costs. At the same time, the explosive growth of innovation in the financial sector could bring with it increased cyber threats, technological vulnerability, and financial instability. In a world where developed countries are experiencing stagnation, the ability to boost trade between nations with emerging markets could prove to offer a new source of economic growth. An expansion of this kind requires the establishment of independent institutions and tools – including in relation to payment and settlement – that meet the needs of developing economies and which are tailored to them.

Issues to be discussed:
• Settlements in the national currencies of EAEU member states: current situation and prospects
• Development of payment and settlement relations in the EAEU: challenges and opportunities
• Digital currencies of central banks as a promising tool in foreign trade settlements

Moderator:

Alexander Murychev — Vice President for Financial Policy and Economic Sector Development, Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP)

Panellists:

Anatoly Aksakov — Chairman of the Committee of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on Financial Markets (online)

Anatoly Gavrilenko — Chairman of the Board of Directors, NP RTS Association

Vasily Matyushevsky — Chairman of the Board, BelVEB Bank

Bakytzhan Sagintayev — Member of the Board (Minister) for Economics and Financial Policy of the Eurasian Economic Commission

Oleg Solntsev — Head of Monetary Policy Analysis, Center for Macroeconomic Analysis and Short-term Forecasting

Aleksey Fedorov — Senior Managing Director for Development and Client Relations, National Settlement Depository (NSD)

Berik Sholpankulov — Deputy Governor, National Bank of Kazakhstan

Ksenia Yudaeva — First Deputy Governor, The Central Bank of the Russian Federation (Bank of Russia)

24.05.2023

09:00–10:30

Olympus Hall, −1st floor, hall 4

Technology and Cooperation Broadcast

Technical Regulation and Quality Infrastructure in the Service of Society and Industry

Today, the Eurasian Economic Union has a unified technical regulation system. This allows member states to remove technical barriers to trade and effectively protect the domestic market from unsafe products. What’s more, it helps boost the competitiveness of the EAEU’s products to the necessary level, and increases their export potential. EAEU legislation in technical regulation has been drafted with practical issues in mind. It has clear, unified rules covering market release for more than 85% of products. This is of benefit to all interested parties, and particularly industry and consumers. Today’s world is marked by rapid scientific and technological progress, international trade, changes in logistics flows, and the application of new innovations. In this context, there is a need to improve key aspects of the union’s technical legislation. This includes standardization, conformity assessment ensuring the uniformity of measurements, accreditation, and state control (supervision). A number of issues are now at the forefront of the agenda. These include coordinated development of national quality infrastructures and the creation of a Eurasian quality assurance system. This is in order to meet society’s needs for safe and high-quality goods, to increase the competitiveness and export potential of EAEU products in both domestic and foreign markets, and to increase the efficiency of integration processes that support the socio-economic development of EAEU member states. A number of steps can be taken to help take the union’s products to the next level and make them meet the highest international requirements. These include joint action by the public and private sectors, consumers and industry; measures taken within the EAEU to deepen integration in technical regulation; and genuine progress in improving the quality and competitiveness of products in the EAEU.

Topics for discussion:
• Innovations and forthcoming changes in the union’s technical legislation
• Standardization – the key to product safety and quality
• Compliance assessment and supervision as tools to protect the market from unsafe products
• Considering the interests of consumers when drafting norms of union law in order to prevent offenses
• Efficient national quality infrastructure as a means of improving the competitiveness of products. The role of the Eurasian quality assurance system in this process

Moderator:

Viktor Nazarenko — Member of the Board, Minister in Charge of Technical Regulation, Eurasian Economic Commission

Panellists:

Lyubov Bondar — President, Association for Technical Regulation

Vyacheslav Burmistrov — Director, Department of State Policy in the Field of Technical Regulation, Standardization and Uniformity of Measurements, Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation (online)

Kuanysh Elikbaev — Chairman, Committee for Technical Regulation and Metrology, Ministry of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan (online)

Andrey Lotsmanov — Deputy Co-Chairman of the Committee on Industrial Policy and Technical Regulation, Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP)

Elena Morgunova — First Deputy Chairman, State Committee for Standardization of the Republic of Belarus

Bolotbek Nurmatov — Director, Center for Standardization and Metrology under the Ministry of Economy and Commerce of the Kyrgyz Republic (Kyrgyzstandart)

Anton Shalaev — Head, The Federal Agency on Technical Regulating and Metrology (Rosstandart)

Petr Shelish — Chairman, All-Russian Union of Public Associations "Union of Consumers of the Russian Federation"

Front row participants:

Natalia Zhukova — Director of the Department of Sanitary, Phytosanitary and Veterinary Measures, Eurasian Economic Commission

Timur Nurashev — Director of the Department of Technical Regulation and Accreditation, Eurasian Economic Commission

Iryna Asmola — Head of the Secretariat, Eurasian Economic Commission

24.05.2023

10:45–12:15

Olympus Hall , −2nd floor, Small Conference Hall

The EAEU in a Changing World Broadcast

EAEU–SCO–BRICS: Open Integration Dialogue

As the global economic architecture undergoes a transformation, Greater Eurasia is emerging as the region offering the greatest potential in terms of economic development. It is where the most powerful national economies are concentrated, and where ambitious integration projects and initiatives are being implemented. The Eurasian Economic Union is systematically building an infrastructure to facilitate dialogue with key players in Greater Asia. Cooperation with the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a crucial aspect of this dialogue. This is particularly the case given the role, significance, and rate of development of its member states’ economies, which account for more than 30% of global GDP. At the same time, opportunities to promote integration beyond Eurasia (such as via BRICS) are opening up, especially when considering the fact that EAEU and SCO member states are also members of other international structures. A range of areas are of particular importance in the context of dialogue between the EAEU and BRICS. These include the potential to unify payment systems; the use of national currencies in mutual settlements; sharing best practices in trade regulation, customs administration, transport, logistics, and energy; and promoting innovation and sustainable development. Recently, leaders of EAEU member states have more and more often spoken about the idea of creating a form of global integration capable of bringing together stable international partners of the union. Dialogue between the EAEU SCO and BRICS could serve as a platform for a wide-ranging partner network incorporating regional associations. It could also facilitate the creation of an overarching space promoting economic sustainability.

Topics for discussion:
• What key areas of cooperation between the EAEU, SCO and BRICS could lay the foundation for greater integration?
• What impact could a transport and logistics megaproject for Greater Eurasia have on the union?
• What is the potential for members of these intergovernmental organizations to work together in monetary and financial matters, and to transition to new forms of trade settlements?
• How might dialogue between leading intergovernmental organizations facilitate economic growth in individual nations and help stabilize the general economic situation in an evolving world?
• What practical objectives could leading regional organizations focus on when it comes to unlocking their potential?

Moderator:

Anatoly Torkunov — Rector, MGIMO University

Panellists:

Dmitry Volvach — Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation

Omid Golzari — Director General of International Cooperation Department, Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration

Yuri Gorelik — Head of the Department for Foreign Economic Activity, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus

Mikhail Myasnikovich — Chairman of the Board, Eurasian Economic Commission

Nuran Niyazaliev — Deputy Secretary General, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (online)

Sergey Pavlov — First Deputy Managing Director, Russian Railways

Kairat Sarybay — Secretary General, Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measure in Asia (CICA)

Anil Sooklal — Sherpa of the Republic of South Africa in BRICS (online)

Liu Xuesong — Plenipotentiary Minister, Embassy of the People`s Republic of China in the Russian Federation

Front row participants:

Sergey Glazyev — Member of the Board, Minister in Charge of Integration and Macroeconomics, Eurasian Economic Commission

Vasily Pushkov — Director of International Cooperation Directorate, Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency

Grigory Rapota — Member of the Federation Council Committee of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on International Affairs

24.05.2023

10:45–12:15

Olympus Hall, 1st floor, Roundtable Hall

Technology and Cooperation Broadcast

Energy Security and Economic Growth

Despite ongoing geopolitical instability, EAEU nations have adopted competent and well-considered approaches to ensuring energy security with the goal of boosting their economies’ potential and growth. A focus on cooperation and dialogue in resolving the most complex issues are hallmarks of the EAEU. The five EAEU member states are united across a number of stances. These include taking a realistic approach to the energy transition, adopting a non-discriminatory attitude towards various energy sources, promoting the use of clean technologies for the benefit of the population, and achieving continued socio-economic development. At the same time, the new geopolitical reality has altered trends in the development of energy, as well as foreign trade in oil and gas. It has also underscored the need to consider new factors when addressing energy security issues. However, new opportunities are also opening up for further cooperation, including the creation of new unions and consortiums. The EAEU’s five member states are confidently traversing the path of building common markets for electric power, gas, oil and oil products, and improving energy security. However, it is also essential – both at the level of the EAEU and individual member states – to respond quickly to rapidly changing conditions.

Topics for discussion:
• Current trends and forecasts in relation to production, investment, and mutual and foreign trade in oil and gas. New fields and consortiums
• Supplying national economies with key energy resources on a long-term basis and forming common EAEU energy markets
• Liquefied natural gas – development opportunities in Russia and in the EAEU
• Centralized trade in electric power – a pathway to market pricing and ensuring non discriminatory conditions for sections of the union’s common electricity market
• Ensuring the manageability and energy security of Central Asia’s energy systems. The need to create clear and transparent regulatory and technical requirements

Moderator:

Alexandra Suvorova — Anchor, Russia 24 TV Channel

Panellists:

Maksim Bystrov — Chairman of the Board, NP Market Council

Hakob Vardanyan — Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of the Republic of Armenia

Taalaibek Ibraev — Minister of Energy of the Kyrgyz Republic

Viktor Karankevich — Minister of Energy of the Republic of Belarus

Arzybek Kozhoshev — Member of the Board, Minister in Charge of Energy and Infrastructure, Eurasian Economic Commission

Taras Kupchikov — Chairman, Executive Committee of the Electric Power Council Commonwealth of Independent States

Yaroslav Mandron — Deputy Chairman of the Board, Eurasian Development Bank

Alexandra Panina — Member of the Management Board, Inter RAO

Alexey Rybnikov — President, Saint Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange

Andrey Ryumin — General Director, Chairman of the Management Board, Rosseti

Almasadam Satkaliyev — Minister of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Nikolay Shulginov — Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation

Ego Syahrial — Special Advisor to the Minister on Strategy on Acceleration of Energy Transition Implementation and Development of Energy Infrastructure, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources of the Republic of Indonesia

24.05.2023

10:45–12:15

Olympus Hall, 1st floor, hall 2

EAEU Business Council section Broadcast

Business as a Driver of Eurasian Economic Integration: Challenges and Prospects

Businesses are the driving force of the economy. Developing the entrepreneurial sector helps create new jobs, get society more involved in business, and achieve robust rates of economic and industrial growth. With this in mind, a number of key priorities exist in relation to Eurasian Integration. These include deepening cooperation in entrepreneurship, improving regulatory policy, and improving the business climate. This agenda also encompasses aspects related to boosting integration processes within the EAEU. This will help EAEU member states implement promising joint ventures, increase their competitiveness, modernize their national economies, and improve their export potential. It has become essential to work out how to simplify internal regulation and improve the business climate in EAEU member states. In this regard, constructive dialogue between government bodies and the Eurasian business community (which interacts with the Eurasian Economic Commission via the EAEU Business Council) has taken on particular significance.

Topics for discussion:
• What can be done to reduce risks and avoid issues that may arise when doing transnational business within the EAEU?
• What prospects and horizons exist for businesses in today’s reality? What opportunities might open up with regards to Eurasian integration and improving the business climate following the simplification of internal regulation?
• How might aspects of Eurasian integration help boost entrepreneurship in the EAEU?
• A reset of business integration in the EAEU: what can be done to revitalize entrepreneurship in the EAEU?
• Urgent liberalization a prerequisite to progressive/sustainable economic growth
• Whatever doesn’t kill us makes us stronger: industries which have borne the brunt of recent difficulties, and opportunities for recovery and growth
• Eliminating national protectionism as a basis for furthering integration processes

Moderator:

Sergey Mikhnevich — Executive Secretary, EAEU Business Council; Managing Director for International Multilateral Cooperation and Integration, Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP)

Panellists:

Timur Zharkenov — Deputy Chairman, Member of the Board, "Atameken" National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Anna Joubin-Bret — Secretary of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law; Director, International Trade Law Division United Nations Office of Legal Affairs (online)

Danil Ibraev — President, Kyrgyz Union of Manufactures and Entrepreneurs

Sergey Krasilnikov — Vice President, Managing Director of the International Relations and Integration Directorate, Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP)

Armen Nersisyan — Founder, Director, Credit Partner; Member of the Audit Commission, Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Armenia (UIEA)

Aliaksandr Panasiuk — Republication Association of Enterprises Industry BelAPP

Marta Perez Cuso — Economic Affairs Officer, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) (online)

Bakytzhan Sagintayev — Member of the Board (Minister) for Economics and Financial Policy of the Eurasian Economic Commission

Ainura Usenbekova — Deputy Minister of Economy and Commerce of the Kyrgyz Republic

24.05.2023

10:45–12:15

Olympus Hall, 1st floor, hall 3

Technology and Cooperation Broadcast

A Modern Development Paradigm for the Agricultural Industry: Global Challenges and New Opportunities

Despite the economic challenges posed in recent years by the COVID-19 pandemic, member states have continued to enact their national policies and take joint action together with the Eurasian Economic Commission. This has all successfully contributed to the growth of the agricultural industry. Over the past three years, the overall volume index for the EAEU amounted to 104.7%. Meanwhile, mutual trade increased by 34.8%, and exports by 41.7%. In 2021 a foreign trade surplus was achieved in agricultural products and food (reaching +USD 1.8 billion). The union is relatively self-sufficient when it comes to agricultural products (92.6% in 2022). However, the union continues to import significant volumes of capital goods, including high-tech goods. In 2021, USD 6.1 billion-worth of materials and technology were imported to the EAEU. What’s more, transport supply chains were disrupted. For EAEU member states, all this provides an incentive to make the industry more competitive by fostering cooperation, introducing new effective technological solutions, creating new routes, and developing trade and logistics networks. In addition, the global agenda has made it essential for EAEU member states to develop the agricultural industry in a sustainable manner, factoring in economic, social, and environmental issues. There is a clear need for member states to work together in this regard.

Topics for discussion:
• Materials and technology for the agricultural industry: challenges and opportunities
• Quality as a competitive advantage in the food market
• Digital product safety management systems
• The importance of innovation in the development of new products
• New routes and new markets
• Cooperation in the agricultural industry: drawing upon the example of Armenia

Moderator:

Armen Harutyunyan — Director of the Department of Agroindustrial Policy, Eurasian Economic Commission

Panellists:

Svetlana Alekseeva — Deputy Head, Head of Digital Transformation, Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision (Rosselkhoznadzor)

Artak Kamalyan — Member of the Board, Minister in Charge of Industry and Agroindustrial Complex, Eurasian Economic Commission

Oleg Kobyakov — Director, Liaison Office with the Russian Federation, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Viktor Nazarenko — Member of the Board, Minister in Charge of Technical Regulation, Eurasian Economic Commission

Maxim Protasov — Head, Russian Quality System (Roskachestvo)

Ivan Smilhin — Deputy Minister, Director of the Department of Veterinary and Food Supervision, Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Belarus

Elena Fastova — Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation

Front row participants:

Stefan Duerr — General Director, EkoNiva-APK Holding

Salis Karakotov — General Director, Schelkovo Agrohim

24.05.2023

10:45–12:15

Olympus Hall, −1st floor, hall 4

Human Capital Broadcast

Lessons from the Pandemic: Looking to the Future

The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of sanitary and epidemiological safety. This includes the ability to respond rapidly to the spread of infectious diseases, both at the level of individual member states, and as a broader union. What’s more, the current situation has posed a test to all member states’ economies. It has become essential for them to leverage their entire resource potential and determine priorities in relation to maintaining macroeconomic stability. Thanks to cross-sector cooperation between authorized bodies of EAEU member states at different levels, it has been possible to develop a set of measures aimed at protecting public health, mitigating the cost to businesses, and keeping people employed. Another success has been the development of a systemic approach to making a timely response to a biological threat, maintaining sanitary and epidemiological safety, and protecting the financial system.

Topics for discussion:
• Collaboration between EAEU member states to prevent the spread of diseases that pose a threat to the public
• The EAEU’s experience in overcoming pandemic-related threats. Lessons gleaned from working together to combat COVID-19
• Ways in which common markets for medical products operate in the current climate
• The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global and regional integration processes. Looking to the future from a scientific perspective

Moderator:

Elena Ezhlova — Deputy Head, Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing

Panellists:

Bubujan Arykbaeva — Deputy Minister of Health of the Kyrgyz Republic

Siddhatha Datta — Regional Adviser, Vaccine-Preventable Diseases and Immunization Programme, The WHO Regional Office for Europe

Viktor Nazarenko — Member of the Board, Minister in Charge of Technical Regulation, Eurasian Economic Commission

Sergei Pospelov — Executive Secretary, Parliamentary Assembly of the Collective Security Treaty Organization

Alexander Tarasenko — Deputy Minister of Health – Chief State Sanitary Doctor of the Republic of Belarus

Areg Totolian — Director, Institut Pasteur in St. Petersburg for Research in Epidemiology and Microbiology of Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing

Front row participants:

Elena Astapenko — Director, Department of Pharmaceutical Provision and Regulation of the Circulation of Medical Devices, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation (online)

Aleksey Kedrin — Chairman of the Board, Association of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU)

Alexander Petrov — Director of Digital Initiatives Directorate, Eurasian Development Bank

Natalya Pshenichnaya — Deputy Director for Clinical and Analytical Work, The Central Research Institute of Epidemiology of Rospotrebnadzor

24.05.2023

10:45–12:15

Olympus Hall, 1st floor, hall 1

Technology and Cooperation Broadcast

The EAEU’S Climate Agenda: New Trends and Practical Solutions

Back in 2021, the heads of state of EAEU member nations stated their intention to work together more on economic matters pertaining to the climate agenda, proceeding on the basis of the principles governing the EAEU’s single market. An action plan was adopted. Among other things, it will allow for a joint approach by member states in efforts to implement the Paris Agreement. A range of crucial issues for the EAEU have already been fleshed out. These include future tech solutions for key industries, mechanisms and conditions for green financing, the foundation of a climate regulation infrastructure, as well as approaches to monitoring greenhouse gases and other climate-active substances. At the same time, compatibility between climate policies – both between EAEU member states and with key external trade and economic partners – is becoming an increasingly pressing issue. In order to address this, work needs to be done to foster cooperation in technology, trade, investment, and, ultimately, to achieve stated climate goals.

Topics for discussion:
• What kind of climate regulation is needed in the EAEU? What business opportunities and risks can be expected?
• Practical solutions for low-carbon technologies. What should low-carbon transport look like?
• What lessons can be drawn from the practice of green financing? What can be done to improve access to finance?

Moderator:

Andrey Sharonov — Chief Executive Officer, National ESG-Alliance

Panellists:

Eric Grigoryan — Authorized Representative of the Republic of Armenia for the Debt-for-Climate Mechanism

Aidar Kazybayev — Chairman, National ESG Club of the Republic of Kazakhstan (online)

Nazarbek Malaev — Deputy Minister of Economy and Commerce of the Kyrgyz Republic

Alexey Miroshnichenko — First Deputy Chairman, VEB.RF - Member of the Board, VEB.RF

Ekaterina Salugina-Sorokovaya — First Vice President, Gazprombank

Andrey Slepnev — Member of the Board, Minister in Charge of Trade, Eurasian Economic Commission

Simon Steele — Executive Secretary, Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (online)

Ilya Torosov — First Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation

Selwin Charles Hart — Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Climate Action, United Nations (online)

Front row participant:

Sergey Voropanov — Mayor of Vologda

24.05.2023

10:45–12:15

Olympus Hall, 1st floor, Grand Conference Hall

The EAEU Internal Market, Cooperation in Customs, Competition, and State Procurement Broadcast

Modern Challenges and New Partnerships: The Development of Customs Regulation in the EAEU

Customs regulation is a matter of interest to both the government and business sector. Ensuring the both sides’ interests are met and making customs regulation both effective and non-burdensome is a complex yet perfectly feasible undertaking. Efforts to improve customs regulation in the Eurasian Economic Union – including through the use of the latest information technology – are helping to achieve this objective. This session will examine a range of issues in this area. It will explore how customs regulation will develop in the current environment, the impact of digital solutions and customs-related information technology, and the application of the latest IT technology. Other areas of focus will include the use of digital tools and platforms in customs in order to improve interaction between the business sector, the public and government bodies, and to facilitate transnational trade.

Topics for discussion:
• Improving customs regulation under the EAEU umbrella
• The development of customs-related information technology in the new reality
• Using navigation seals in efforts to develop a single customs transit system for the EAEU

Moderator:

Ruslan Davydov — Acting Head, Federal Customs Service of the Russian Federation

Panellists:

Eldar Alisherov — Member of the Board (Minister) for Customs Cooperation, Eurasian Economic Commission

Andrey Bolshakov — Deputy Chairman, State Customs Committee of the Republic of Belarus

Alexander Egorichev — Deputy Head, Federal Tax Service of Russia

Valentin Ivanov — Deputy Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation

Leonid Lozbenko — Chairman, Public Council under the Federal Customs Service

Elnura Mambetzhunusheva — Deputy Chairman, State Customs Service under the Ministry of Finance of the Kyrgyz Republic

Ashot Muradyan — Deputy Chairman, State Revenue Committee of the Republic of Armenia

Ekaterina Priezzheva — Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation

Alexey Sazanov — State Secretary – Deputy Minister of Finance of the Russian Federation

24.05.2023

12:25–12:50

Olympus Hall, 1st floor, Grand Conference Hall

Sideline events Broadcast

Green Eurasia International Climate Competition

The Eurasian Economic Forum 2023 will host an award ceremony for winners of the Green Eurasia international climate competition.

Website: https://greeneurasia.asi.ru.

The competition is organized by the Agency for Strategic Initiatives and the Eurasian Economic Commission, and is be held in the following categories:
• Green energy and energy efficiency
• Clean industry
• Sustainable development in agriculture
• Low-carbon transport
• Green construction
• Green finance
• Effective waste management
• An environmental culture and public involvement in the climate agenda
• Monitoring of the environment and climate
• Government policy in low-carbon development

Rewarding:

Mher Grigoryan — Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia

Alexey Overchuk — Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation

Igor Petrishenko — Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus

Panellist:

Andrey Slepnev — Member of the Board, Minister in Charge of Trade, Eurasian Economic Commission

24.05.2023

12:30–14:00

Olympus Hall , −2nd floor, Small Conference Hall

Sideline events Broadcast

A Eurasia of Regions

In the current conditions, interregional cooperation is especially important. Close economic ties between the regions of Eurasian Economic Union member countries form the basis for implementing promising new interregional projects and facilitate the strengthening of manufacturing, scientific and technological ties, as well as the identification of solutions to issues around quality of life and living standards for residents of EAEU member nations.

Moderators:

Dmitry Volvach — Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation

Mikhail Myasnikovich — Chairman of the Board, Eurasian Economic Commission

Panellists:

Vasily Golubev — Governor of Rostov Region

Elena Guschina — Managing Director, State Development Corporation "VEB.RF"

Kanat Dzhumagaziev — Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic in the Chui region

Sergey Eremin — Acting Deputy Governor of the Krasnoyarsk Territory

Natalya Komarova — Governor of KhantyMansi Autonomous Area – Yugra

Valery Moskalenko — Vice Governor of St. Petersburg

Georgy Muradov — Deputy Chairman, Council of Ministers of the Republic of Crimea; Permanent Representative of the Republic of Crimea to the President of the Russian Federation

Denis Saly — Head, Representative Office of the Government of the Kaliningrad Region under the Government of the Russian Federation SPI of Kaliningrad Region

Karen Sargsyan — Governor of the Gegharkunik Province of the Republic of Armenia

Alexander Subbotin — Chairman, Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee

24.05.2023

12:30–14:00

Olympus Hall, 1st floor, Roundtable Hall

Human Capital Broadcast

Eurasian Dialogue on the Labour Market: Human Capital and Healthcare

It is believed that sustainable and balanced economic growth partly hinges on improving people’s quality of life and developing human potential in the context of Eurasian economic integration. Ensuring a healthy population has been specified as a key aspect of the 2025 strategy approved by the EAEU’s heads of state. Similarly, ensuring that highly qualified personnel form a key part of the workforce has also been identified as critical. Consequently, healthcare and vocational education are to come under focus as new areas of economic cooperation. The EAEU nations are in need of highly qualified workers possessing new skills who are capable of producing competitive goods and providing high-quality services. In order to further develop a single labour market, it is essential to employ the latest digital technology enabling all participants to communicate and perform legally binding actions across national borders. A number of aspects are currently of particular relevance. These include sharing experience and best practices in high-tech medical care, and implementing digital initiatives and projects in healthcare. What’s more, they could be beneficial when it comes to drafting and implementing national policy, and help boost economic, social, and technological development.

Topics for discussion:
• The impact of labour migration on the socioeconomic development of EAEU member states
• Key aspects of the further development of the unified EAEU labour market
• EAEU human resources of the 21st century
• Improving public health for successful economic development and high productivity

Moderator:

Mikhail Ivankov — Head, Federal Labour and Employment Service

Panellists:

Kudaibergen Bazarbaev — Minister of Labour, Social Protection and Migration of the Kyrgyz Republic

Antonio Vitorino — General Director, International Organization for Migration (online)

Melita Vujnovic — Representative, World Health Organization Office in the Russian Federation (online)

Irina Kostevich — Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Republic of Belarus

Anton Kotyakov — Minister of Labour and Social Protection of the Russian Federation (online)

Olzhas Ordabayev — Vice-Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Bakytzhan Sagintayev — Member of the Board (Minister) for Economics and Financial Policy of the Eurasian Economic Commission

Robert Urazov — General Director, Skills and Professions Development Agency

Marina Schramm — Director, Office of the International Organization for Migration in Moscow

24.05.2023

12:30–14:00

Olympus Hall, 1st floor, hall 2

Human Capital Broadcast

Eurasia’s New Generation: Young Talent

The world is currently undergoing a transformation from a knowledge economy to a talent economy, which is a key resource for breakthrough development. This trend is also important for member states of the Eurasian Economic Union. The successful development of the talent economy requires the training of multicultural and diversified professionals who implement key national and transnational projects, cooperation at the international level, and the exchange of experience. A systematic approach to identifying and unleashing talent spurs on the development of a unified labour market and cooperative scientific and educational projects and also contributes to the overall sustainability of the association, while measures to thoroughly involve talented young people in Eurasian economic integration help to shape a positive attitude towards the integration project. A key focus of this joint work should be the coordinated development of national systems to identify and support talent, including the development of the Olympiad movement, international educational programmes, the cross-border involvement of industrial partners in scientific and educational projects, the replication of the best educational models, and the creation of a network of strong partner schools throughout the EAEU. This will all help lay a solid foundation for international cooperation and mutual understanding among talented young people, which in the future will lead to increased innovative activity, the development of the economic and cultural potential of EAEU nations, and improvements in people’s quality of life.

Topics for discussion:
· Best country practices and the convergence of national systems to identify and support talent
· Joint development of the talent economy of EAEU countries as a foundation for the Union’s leadership in the global economy

Moderator:

Elena Shmeleva — Chairman of the Board, Sirius Federal Territory; Head, Talent and Success Foundation

Panellists:

Aleksandra Glazkova — Deputy General Director – Director for Organizational Development, Uralchem

Ilya Dementyev — Rector, Gazprom Neft Corporate University

Roman Ivanov — Director of the Scientific Center for Translational Medicine, Vice-Rector for Scientific and Technological Development, Sirius University of Science and Technology

Konstantin Kolpakov — Chairman, Council of Young Diplomats Russian Foreign Ministry

Yury Sentyurin — Ambassador at Large, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation

Stanislav Surovtsev — Vice-Rector for Youth Policy, Social Work and International Relations, Moscow State Institute of International Relations

Pavel Terekhov — Director, "Pokrovsky Quarter" School; "Director of the Year of Russia–2022" the All-Russian Professional Competition Winner

Daniyar Turusbekov — Director, Organizational Support and Protocol Department, Eurasian Economic Commission

Aleksander Yakovenko — Rector, The Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation

24.05.2023

12:30–14:00

Olympus Hall, 1st floor, hall 3

Technology and Cooperation Broadcast

Fostering Entrepreneurship in the New Environment

At present, the priority of the Eurasian Economic Commission and all EAEU member states is to create conditions for the development of internal investment and innovation activities within the EAEU, the establishment of sovereign value chains and supply chains that do not depend on unfriendly countries, and the expansion of production and technological cooperation. Participants in the thematic session at the EAEF 2023 will discuss the role of the chambers of commerce and industry of EAEU member states in the development of trade and economic cooperation, existing barriers to mutual trade and ways to eliminate them, and opportunities to use the potential of the EAEU to create favourable conditions for the development of entrepreneurship and cooperation ties.

Topics for discussion:
• Development of mechanisms to support industrial cooperation
• Practical aspects of import substitution at the company level
• Development of transport and logistics infrastructure within the EAEU
• New EAEU instruments and mechanisms to support exports (Eurasian Agroexpress, Eurasian Reinsurance Company, etc.)
• Growth points and promising areas of cooperation between business communities
• Barriers in mutual trade and ways to eliminate them

Moderator:

Sergey Katyrin — President, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation

Panellists:

Timur Zharkenov — Deputy Chairman, Member of the Board, "Atameken" National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Danil Ibraev — President, Kyrgyz Union of Manufactures and Entrepreneurs

Karen Ivanov — Vice President, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Republic of Armenia

Michail Miatlikov — Chairman of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Vladimir Serpikov — Director of the Trade Policy Department, Eurasian Economic Commission

Front row participants:

Sergey Glazyev — Member of the Board, Minister in Charge of Integration and Macroeconomics, Eurasian Economic Commission

Eduard Davydov — Chairman of the Russian part of the Russian-Kazakhstan Business Council; General Director, Bashkir Soda Company

Alnur Danishev

Mikhail Zhigalo — Deputy Head, Administration of the Chinese-Belarusian Industrial Park Great Stone

Sergey Kalinin — Managing Director for Government Relations, Electronic Trading Platform of Gazprombank

Alevtina Kirillova — General Director, Autonomous Non-Profit Organization on Assistance in the Development of Agro-Industrial Activity "Eurasian Agrologistics"

Dmitry Kurochkin — Vice President, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation

24.05.2023

12:30–14:00

Olympus Hall, −1st floor, hall 4

Eurasian Collectiveness Broadcast

The Establishment of the Eurasian Reinsurance Company: Opportunities and Prospects

On 20 October 2022, following several years of work, the heads of the government of EAEU member states signed the Agreement on the Establishment of the Eurasian Reinsurance Company (ERC). The ERC is being created as an international financial organization that will stimulate mutual and foreign trade, implement joint cooperation projects and EAEU investments, and complement the functions of the export credit agencies that are parties to the ERC at the supranational level. The ERC, which will be open to other states and international financial organizations that want to join it, is scheduled to start operating in 2023. A thematic session at the EEF 2023 will feature discussions about the ERC’s planned activities, its projects and programmes, demand for its products among EAEU businesses on the reinsurance market in the new economic conditions, the opportunities that the ERK will create in the near and long term, and other relevant practical issues concerning export insurance in the EAEU.

Topics for discussion:
• The Eurasian Reinsurance Company: establishment status and mandate
• The expected impact that the company will have on the EAEU’s mutual and foreign trade
• The most needed programmes, products, and mechanisms offered by the Eurasian Reinsurance Company for EAEU businesses
• The potential role of the Eurasian Reinsurance Company in the development of the insurance and reinsurance market in the EAEU

Moderator:

Mikhail Matovnikov — Senior Managing Director – Director of Center for Financial Analysis, Sberbank

Panellists:

Aleksey Bezdenezhnykh — General Director, Credendo – Ingosstrakh Credit Insurance

Irina Butenko — Head of Treasury, Severstal

Nikita Gusakov — Chief Executive Officer, EXIAR; Senior Vice President, Russian Export Center

Aslan Kaligazin — Chairman of the Board, Export Insurance Company KazakhExport

Kanybek Kasymali uulu — Deputy Director of the Department of Trade Policy, Eurasian Economic Commission

Artak Mirzoyan — Chairman of the Directorate, Executive Director of "Export Insurance Agency of Armenia"

Gennady Mitskevich — General Director of the Eximgarant of Belarus, Belarusian Republican Export-Import Unitary Insurance Enterprise

Alexander Murychev — Vice President for Financial Policy and Economic Sector Development, Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP)

Andrey Slepnev — Member of the Board, Minister in Charge of Trade, Eurasian Economic Commission

Front row participant:

Svetlana Gusar — Independent Expert; Vice President, All-Russian Union of Insurers (2017-2023)

24.05.2023

12:30–14:00

Olympus Hall, 1st floor, hall 5

The EAEU in a Changing World Roundtable Broadcast

EAEU–Latin America

Today, Latin America is a large, promising, and well-integrated market with a population of more than half a billion people. The region has been consistently consolidating its status as a centre of growth in the global economy. Despite the distance between the two regions, Latin America and the EAEU have built an extensive infrastructure to help strengthen trade and economic ties. Much is being done to forge various forms of cooperation, from dialogue on a far-reaching agenda and specific areas of cooperation through memoranda, to deeper immersion in the Eurasian integration agenda. The latter is being achieved by granting Latin American nations the status of observer state to the EAEU. The Republic of Cuba is one such example of this. Fostering dialogue between the union and intergovernmental organizations in Latin America is another key aspect, particularly given their productiveness, diversity, and the fact that they incorporate virtually every country in the region. In addition, EAEU member states are working together with Latin American nations at the trans-regional level via BRICS. The Federative Republic of Brazil is a permanent member of this organization, and the Argentine Republic has officially applied to join as well. The global economy is currently undergoing a period of turbulence. It is therefore crucial for the EAEU and Latin America to fully leverage their accumulated experience and contacts to focus on removing obstacles to mutual trade. It is also essential to identify joint solutions to help stabilize the overall global economic situation.

Topics for discussion:
• Given today’s economic realities, what opportunities are opening up for the countries of the EAEU and Latin America?
• What areas of trade and economic cooperation offer the greatest potential, and what should be the focus of investment?
• What tariff and non-tariff barriers are businesses faced with?
• What digital developments employed by the EAEU and intergovernmental organizations in Latin America might help overcome logistical difficulties?
• Will it be possible to transition to new forms of trade settlements?
• How does regional integration affect the structure of the global economy?

Moderator:

Sergey Brilev — President, The Global Energy Association

Panellists:

Ivan Acosta Montalvan — Minister of Finance and Public Credit of the Republic of Nicaragua

Sergey Glazyev — Member of the Board, Minister in Charge of Integration and Macroeconomics, Eurasian Economic Commission

Felix Plasencia — Secretary General of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America – Peoples’ Trade Treaty (online)

Hulver Cesar Rezza Vega — President, Peru-Russia Chamber of Commerce and Industry Development

Delcy Eloina Rodriguez Gomez — Executive Vice President, Minister of People´s Power of Economy, Finance and Foreign Trade, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (online)

Veronika Skvortsova — Head, Federal Medical-Biological Agency of the Russian Federation

Alexander Shchetinin — Director of the Latin American Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation

Front row participants:

Nelida Guerra Moreira — Counselor of the Embassy of the Republic of Cuba in the Russian Federation

Zhalyn Zheenaliev — Deputy Director, National Investment Agency under the President of the Kyrgyz Republic

Tatiana Mashkova — Director General, National Committee for the Promotion of Economic Cooperation with the Countries of Latin America (NC CEPLA); Director, Business Council "Russia-Chile"

24.05.2023

12:30–14:00

Olympus Hall, 1st floor, hall 1

Eurasian Collectiveness Broadcast

E-Commerce of Tomorrow: Development Approaches in the EAEU

The explosive growth of e-commerce that began during the pandemic shows virtually no signs of slowing down in 2023. In the EAEU, e-commerce in 2021 amounted to around USD 42.7 billion. Figures for 2022 put the Russian e-commerce market at RUB 4.98 trillion. Of this figure, 96.4% accounted for domestic sales, and 3.6% for transnational online imports. What’s more, over a period of 10 months in 2022, the volume of e-commerce in Kazakhstan reached KZT 825.2 billion. Given the recent sanctions imposed on individual EAEU member states, e-commerce has allowed members of the public to maintain a model of consumer behaviour that they had become accustomed to. Given the potential for development, e commerce has become a strategic sector in the EAEU, making it vital to address a range of issues concerning regulation, infrastructure, and much else in order to ensure further growth in the region. In November 2021, EAEU heads of government adopted a roadmap aimed at fostering e-commerce within the union. With this in mind, it is crucial to determine the main pathway for development in this area.

Topics for discussion:
• Main trends affecting the development of e-commerce over the next 10–15 years (smart contracts, personalization of purchases, augmented reality, voice shopping, delivery drones)
• Priorities for the development of the e-commerce market in the EAEU: acquiring, creating new product categories, applying a duty-free import threshold for foreign e-commerce, pricing, etc.
• Building a single e-commerce market for the union as a source of further growth
• Regulating e-commerce under an international trading system
• Unifying e-commerce legislation across EAEU member states
• Addressing double taxation in e-commerce in the EAEU

Moderator:

Artem Sokolov — President, The Association of Internet Trade Companies; Co-founder, EAEC Alliance of Internet Trade Associations

Panellists:

Tatyana Bakalchuk — General Director, Wildberries

Sergey Belyakov — Managing Director, Ozon

Nina Emelyanova — Deputy Minister of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade of the Republic of Belarus

Vahagn Kazaryan — Director of the Department of Customs Tariff and Non-Tariff Regulation, Eurasian Economic Commission

Luca Castellani — Secretary of Working Group on Electronic Commerce, United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) (online)

Nazarbek Malaev — Deputy Minister of Economy and Commerce of the Kyrgyz Republic

Andrey Slepnev — Member of the Board, Minister in Charge of Trade, Eurasian Economic Commission

Liliya Shchur-Trukhanovich — Director of the Department for Development and Regulation of Foreign Economic Activity, Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation

Front row participants:

Konstantin Gorozhankin — President, Association of Kazakhstan Internet Business and Mobile Commerce (AKIB) (online)

Aibek Kurenkeev — President, Association of Electronic Commerce of the Kyrgyz Republic (online)

Artak Sargsyan — Director, Association for the Development of Online Shopping of the Republic of Armenia (online)

Denis Stepantsev — Managing Director, Digital Kazakhstan Association (online)

24.05.2023

13:00–14:30

Olympus Hall, 1st floor, Grand Conference Hall

Strategic section Broadcast

Priorities for EAEU 2030+

In a changing world, the Eurasian Economic Union remains an independent pole in a multipolar world. This is evident from its cooperation chains, transport and logistics infrastructure, digital and climate agendas (and related technological transformation), financial and settlement ecosystem, and energy and food security programmes. Work is under way in the union to foster new areas of strategic and sustainable development with the view to making a breakthrough both in terms of integration and the economy. In these turbulent times for the global economy, the EAEU needs to maintain constancy, whether in relation to the economy, business, or people. In his address, Chairman of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council and President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin noted that it would be expedient to jointly assess the progress made in implementing the Strategic Directions for Developing Eurasian Economic Integration to 2025. He also called upon the parties to begin drafting long-term plans to determine the main pathways of integrative cooperation, both to 2030 and to 2045.

Topics for discussion:
• What should be the key aim with regards to the development of the union to 2045? How should progress be measured and assessed?
• Where are efforts being concentrated to achieve the union’s sustainable development goals?
• What specific steps need to be taken to ensure that the intergovernmental organization’s development goals are achieved?
• What project could help boost high-tech exports as a percentage of total exports and foster the establishment of trans-Eurasian corporations?
• What new areas of the EAEU’s development strategy exist?

Moderator:

Andrey Slepnev — Member of the Board, Minister in Charge of Trade, Eurasian Economic Commission

Panellists:

Sergey Glazyev — Member of the Board, Minister in Charge of Integration and Macroeconomics, Eurasian Economic Commission

Mher Grigoryan — Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia

Serik Zhumangarin — Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Adylbek Kasymaliev — First Deputy Chairman, Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic

Mikhail Myasnikovich — Chairman of the Board, Eurasian Economic Commission

Alexey Overchuk — Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation

Igor Petrishenko — Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus

24.05.2023

16:00–18:30

Zaryadye Hall, −1st floor, plenary hall

Broadcast

Plenary Session

Plenary session participants:
President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin
President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko
President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich Tokayev
President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Nurgozhoevich Japarov
Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Mher Gerbertovich Grigoryan
Chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission Mikhail Vladimirovich Myasnikovich

Moderator:
President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, Chairman of the Presidium – President of the EAEU Business Council Alexander Nikolayevich Shokhin

25.05.2023

08:30–10:00

Sideline events ASI business breakfast

New Opportunities to Build International Cooperation in Eurasia

by invitation only

As the global political and economic landscape continues to shift, states pursuing a neutral and sovereign policy that meets their national interests are beginning to be drawn to one another. In this context, Eurasia is becoming increasingly significant. Partnership in Eurasia is capable of changing the political and economic architecture and ensuring stability and prosperity across the entire continent. This is while taking into account the diversity of development models, cultures and traditions of all its peoples. There is much potential to achieve greater integration in Eurasia through expanding cooperation, opening up new industries and markets, and enacting a digital transformation for key sectors of the economy. Fostering innovation, implementing joint initiatives, and sharing best practices can also play a key role in this regard. New development pathways are stemming from the climate agenda and the technological transformation it is giving rise to. In today’s political reality, a need has arisen to develop new forms and tools of international cooperation to exist alongside traditional diplomacy, with the view to promoting national interests.

Moderator:

Mikhail Makarov — Director of the International Relations Office, Agency for Strategic Initiatives to Promote New Projects

Panellists:

Daniyar Amangeldiev — Minister of Economy and Commerce of the Kyrgyz Republic

Dmitry Volvach — Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation

Sergey Glazyev — Member of the Board, Minister in Charge of Integration and Macroeconomics, Eurasian Economic Commission

Alevtina Kirillova — General Director, Autonomous Non-Profit Organization on Assistance in the Development of Agro-Industrial Activity "Eurasian Agrologistics"

Oleg Makarov — General Director, Belarusian Institute of Scientific Research

Veronika Nikishina — General Director, Russian Export Center

Andrey Slepnev — Member of the Board, Minister in Charge of Trade, Eurasian Economic Commission

Denis Trefilov — Deputy Secretary General of the Commonwealth of Independent States

Maxim Chereshnev — Chairman, Russian Trade and Economy Development Council

Svetlana Chupsheva — General Director, Agency for Strategic Initiatives to Promote New Projects

25.05.2023

09:00–10:30

Olympus Hall , −2nd floor, Small Conference Hall

The EAEU in a Changing World Business dialogue Broadcast

EAEU–Indonesia

Trade relations between the EAEU and Indonesia, one of the key economies in the Asia-Pacific region, are rapidly developing. As of the end of 2022, EAEU-Indonesia trade turnover was up 39.2% compared with 2021, while exports more than doubled, and imports increased by around 12%. In May 2022, the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council decided to initiate negotiations with Indonesia on a free trade agreement, which, estimates indicate, could increase trade by another USD 1.5 billion. There are prospects both for agricultural products, which traditionally account for the bulk of the Union’s imports from Indonesia, and for industrial goods. Potential exports from EAEU member states include agricultural products, energy, metallurgy, the chemical industry, environmental and mineral resource management technologies, transport, motor vehicles and components, coal, and paper. The similar style of business in both EAEU countries and Indonesia fuels interest in cooperation on both sides. However, partnerships have not been established in several industries. The two sides need to become more familiar with each other’s market, including further cooperation in the financial sector.

Topics for discussion:
• What are the priorities when it comes to deepening cooperation between the EAEU and Indonesia?
• What needs to be done to create a robust infrastructure?
• What aspects of this infrastructure are of primary importance for economic operators?
• What needs to be done to expand supply chains, develop a digital infrastructure, and remove non-tariff barriers?

Moderator:

Ivan Polyakov — Chairman, Russia–ASEAN Business Council

Panellists:

Nikolay Borisevich — Director General, Republican Unitary Enterprise «National Centre for Marketing and Price Study»

Alexey Gruzdev — Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation

Olly Dondokambey — Governor of North Sulawesi Province of the Republic of Indonesia

Zhalyn Zheenaliev — Deputy Director, National Investment Agency under the President of the Kyrgyz Republic

Rizal Affandi Lukman — Special Adviser to the Coordinating Minister of the Republic of Indonesia on Economic Affairs

Musdhalifah Machmud — Deputy Minister for Food and Agribusiness of the Coordinating Ministry of Economic Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia

Jose Antonio Morato Tavares — Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Indonesia to the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus

Alexander Svinin — Trade Representative of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Indonesia (online)

Andrey Slepnev — Member of the Board, Minister in Charge of Trade, Eurasian Economic Commission

Umbriel Temiraliev — Director, National Investment Agency under the President of the Kyrgyz Republic

Shana Fatina — President Director, Implementing Agency of Labuan Bajo Flores Tourism Authority

Sergey Cheremin — Minister, Government of Moscow; Head of the Department for External Economic and International Relations of Moscow; Chairman of the Board, Business Council for Cooperation with India

25.05.2023

09:00–10:30

Olympus Hall, 1st floor, Roundtable Hall

Human Capital Broadcast

Cooperation in Science and Technology, and Vocational Education: Priorities for the Eurasian Economic Union

The global economy is undergoing profound structural and technological change. This is merely serving to further highlight technological challenges faced by member states, especially given the global geopolitical situation. That said, a number of new opportunities to make a breakthrough are presenting themselves. These involve achieving heightened growth through new production processes and modernizing the economy by introducing innovative underlying technologies. Scientific and technological development are key aspects of the union’s 2025 development strategy. Priorities have been set out and a forecast has been prepared in relation to the union’s scientific and technological development. A list of keystone initiatives for Eurasian integration are taking shape, and a framework programme to determine scientific and technological development is being drafted. Promising scientific developments and projects should help drive modernization and innovation. In so doing, they will provide a foundation for the Eurasian Economic Union to become self-sufficient and ensure economic growth for each member state. Currently, the countries of the EAEU are lagging behind developed nations in terms of R&D/GDP intensity. What’s more, there is a disparity between the scientific and technological potential of individual EAEU member states. The creation of a common educational space in the EAEU has played no small role in fostering regional cooperation in science and technology. The EAEU’s 2025 development strategy has set out plans for member states to work together in vocational education. The implementation mechanisms in this area are geared towards the further development of an EAEU common labour market. Consequently, member states are tasked with developing adaptive models enabling universities to work together and creating flexible forms of legal incorporation.

Topics for discussion:
• Priority areas of cooperation in science and technology in the EAEU: problematic areas and development prospects
• Expanding the practice of inter-university cooperation across EAEU member states and fostering academic exchanges and educational placements
• Cooperation in the field of vocational education with the view to training a workforce for a common EAEU labour market
• The role of the Eurasian Network University in inter-university collaboration

Moderator:

Yakov Silin — Rector, Ural State Univercity of Economics

Panellists:

Kanatbek Abdrakhmatov — President, National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic; Corresponding Member

Inna Andronova — Head of the Department of International Economic Relations, Dean of the Faculty of Economics, Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University)

Ayk Babuhanyan — Deputy Chairman of the Coordinating Council of the International Association "Friends of Crimea"

Andrey Ivanets — Minister of Education of the Republic of Belarus

Vladimir Ivanov — Vice-President, Russian Academy of Sciences

Dmitry Mityaev — Assistant Member of the Board (Minister) for Integration and Macroeconomics, Eurasian Economic Commission

Altynai Omurbekova — Director of the Department of Labor Migration and Social Protection, Eurasian Economic Commission

Nikolay Rogalev — Rector, National Research University "Moscow Power Engineering Institute"

Denis Sekirinsky — Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation

Vladimir Sipyagin — First Deputy Chairman of the Committee of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation for Science and Higher Education

Vladimir Stroev — Rector, State University of Management

Pavel Shevtsov — Deputy Head, Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation (Rossotrudnichestvo)

Front row participants:

Kanybek Ajekbarov — Deputy Director of Macroeconomic Policy Department, Eurasian Economic Commission

Turatbek Duishenaliev — Professor of the Department of Robotics, Mechatronics, Dynamics and Strength of Machines, National Research University Moscow Power Engineering Institute

Igor Maksimtsev — Rector, Saint Petersburg State University of Economics

25.05.2023

09:00–10:30

Olympus Hall, 1st floor, hall 2

Technology and Cooperation Broadcast

Veterinary Health as a Guarantor of Food Security

In today’s world, it has become ever more important for the Eurasian Economic Union’s member states to ensure food security. This means being as self-sufficient as possible. Much has been achieved in this regard in recent years. The union’s dependence on food imports from third countries, including animal source foods, has been minimized. In addition, critical dependence on multinational corporations is being eliminated, and countries are ramping up domestic production. However, increasing production of animal source foods could prove problematic if veterinary health is not guaranteed across the union’s shared customs area. This is particularly true of infectious animal diseases (epizootic safety). Safety in the production of animal source foods is largely ensured through the use of high-quality, effective and safe veterinary medicines and feed additives. Effective interaction between the veterinary services of EAEU member states also plays a key role.

Topics for discussion:
• Ensuring epizootic safety in the customs area of the EAEU
• Antimicrobial resistance and the rational use of antimicrobial chemotherapeutic drugs in veterinary medicine
• Expanding of the use of specific preventative interventions and therapeutic/prophylactic drugs as a means of ensuring epizootic safety, maintaining the productive health of animals, and increasing productivity
• Veterinary science as the key to high-quality, efficient, and productive animal husbandry

Moderator:

Julia Melano — Advisor to the Head, Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision (Rosselkhoznadzor)

Panellists:

Taras Aliper — Head of the Department of Applied Virology, D.I. Ivanovsky Institute of Virology; Chairman of the Board of Directors, Vetbiohim

Tatiana Balagula — Head of the Department of State Veterinary Supervision, Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision (Rosselkhoznadzor)

Irina Donnik — Assistant to the President, National Research Centre ‘Kurchatov Institute’

Sergey Engashev — General Director, Research and Development Center ‘Agrovetzashchita’

Denis Kolbasov — Director, Federal Research Center for Virology and Microbiology; Professor, Russian Academy of Sciences

Sergei Lakhtyukhov — General Director, National Union of Poultry Farmers

Lyudmila Manitskaya — Chairman of the Board – Director, Dairy Union of Russia

Viktor Nazarenko — Member of the Board, Minister in Charge of Technical Regulation, Eurasian Economic Commission

Alexander Panin — Advisor, All-Russian State Center for Quality and Standardization of Medicines for Animals and Feed

Dmitry Semenov — Chairman of the Board of Directors, Joint Veterinary Pharmaceutical Company

Front row participant:

Maksim Sinelnikov — Deputy Head, National Association of Suppliers, Producers and Consumers of Meat and Meat Products

25.05.2023

10:45–12:15

Olympus Hall, 1st floor, Roundtable Hall

Eurasian Collectiveness Broadcast

Innovation and New Sources of Data in EAEU Statistics

Official statistics play a crucial role. They provide the government and society with objective information on all key issues when it comes to taking certain decisions. The role of statistics is changing in line with accelerating and increasingly complex global processes. At the same time, requirements related to rapidly obtaining statistical information and conclusions are becoming more stringent, and there is a growing need for automation. As a result, the Eurasian Economic Commission has focused a great deal of attention on modernizing its information system and issues related to integration. As information and communication technologies are developing apace, so offices for statistics throughout the world are recognizing the need to employ new technologies to collect and disseminate data. The Eurasian Economic Union is implementing the international standard for data and metadata exchange (SDMX). This is with a view to improving access to statistical data and metadata for users, reducing the burden on data providers, and ensuring that statistical information is of a high quality. Sharing statistical data and metadata using the SDMX international standard is a wide-ranging and complex process. It is essential to continuously work to improve existing mechanisms at both the national and international level, and for all parties to work together on an ongoing basis. The increasing use of information and communication technologies is making it possible to obtain numerical information of a higher quality in a shorter space of time, while reducing the cost and burden on respondents. At the same time, new and promising sources of information are emerging that can be used to generate official statistics, big data being one such example. Administrative data is another source of information that can effectively improve the accuracy and informativeness of official statistics in a fast and cost-effective manner. It remains a priority for the Eurasian Economic Union to explore the possibilities of using new sources of information and IT to improve technologies related to collecting, processing, and disseminating data. However, in order to succeed in the new data ecosystem, there needs to be a close partnership between official statistics and other producers of data, such as governments, organizations and academic institutions.

Topics for discussion:
• What is the development trajectory of EAEU statistics given the current global trends?
• What prospects are there for the development and use of information technologies in EAEU statistics?
• What is needed to introduce innovative information technologies into statistics?
• Integration of available information sources for official statistics, including the use of administrative, geospatial, and big data: challenges and opportunities
• Strengths and weaknesses of using big data in EAEU statistics
• Innovations in data visualization
• How can we utilize the benefits of the data revolution? Are we ready for future changes in the data ecosystem?
• How can we succeed with partnerships in and the coordination of the emerging data ecosystem?

Moderator:

Tatyana Radchenko — First Vice-President, Center for Strategic Research Foundation

Panellists:

Gagik Ananyan — Deputy President, Statistical Committee of the Republic of Armenia (online)

Galina Vasilyeva — Director of Statistics Department, Central Bank of the Russian Federation (Bank of Russia)

Dmitriy Velikiy — Head of the Main Department of Statistics and Data Management, National Bank of the Republic of Belarus

Jaser Jarkinbaev — Deputy Head, Bureau of National Statistics of the Agency for Strategic Planning and Reforms of the Republic of Kazakhstan (online)

Sergey Egorenko — Deputy Head, Federal State Statistics Service

Timofey Zhigarev — Deputy Chairman, National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus

Elena Zarova — Professor of the Department of Statistics, Plekhanov Russian University of Economics; Deputy Head of Strategic Analysis Department, Analytical Center of Moscow

Dmitry Mityaev — Assistant Member of the Board (Minister) for Integration and Macroeconomics, Eurasian Economic Commission

Alexander Surinov — Director for Statistical Research, National Research University Higher School of Economics

Bakytbek Shokenov — Deputy Chairman, National Statistical Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic (online)

25.05.2023

10:45–12:15

Olympus Hall, 1st floor, hall 1

Sideline events Broadcast

Eurasian Integration: Best Practices for Boosting Productivity

In an increasingly globalized economy, the issue of labour productivity in the EAEU member nations is receiving increased attention. Russia has implemented a Labour Productivity national project to improve efficiency in the workplace, led by First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov. In five years, Labour Productivity has worked with over 4,400 companies across the country, representing a total of 1.5 million employees. The project participants have contributed a combined RUB 400 billion to the country’s GDP, and have observed an increase in productivity of 24%. Businesses can boost their productivity and profits by introducing lean production tools, adopting new engineering and management solutions, and improving employee training. The enterprises participating in the Labour Productivity national project have been able to increase employee wages and salaries by taking these kinds of actions. Another key area of focus for improving the Russian economy involves creating a ‘movement for efficiency’ from among the employees of participating enterprises, and improving workers’ skills through tools made available by the Agency for the Development of Skills and Professions. At a seminar of EAEU countries in February 2023, Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation Maksim Reshetnikov indicated Russia’s willingness to share its experience and best practices. The experts behind the Labour Productivity national project will be able to consult on the creation of competence centres for labour productivity. Owners and managers of leading Russian companies operating in EAEU markets will share their experiences of boosting labour productivity with session participants.

Topics for discussion: • Where can enterprises in the EAEU seek out additional opportunities to support economic efficiency?
• How can enterprises manage their hidden reserves without additional funding?
• What are the potential economic benefits of managing hidden reserves?

Moderator:

Aleksandr Molodtsov — Director of the Department of Labor Productivity, Protection and Promotion of Investments, Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation

Panellists:

Berik Bekenov — Chairman of the Board, Kazakhstan Industry Development Institute "QazIndustry" (online)

Petr Bely — Founder, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Promomed Group

Veronika Isaeva — Advisor to President, Kyrgyzindustry (online)

Murat Kerefov — Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation

Sergey Korotkov — Director, UNIDO Center for International Industrial Cooperation in the Russian Federation

Igor Maksimtsev — Rector, Saint Petersburg State University of Economics

Nikolay Solomon — General Director, Federal Competence Centre (FCC)

Robert Urazov — General Director, Skills and Professions Development Agency

25.05.2023

10:45–12:15

Olympus Hall, 1st floor, hall 2

Sideline events Broadcast

Innovative Development and Growth in EAEU Economies: The Efficient Activities of State Institutions

At present, the continuous growth and modernization of all economic sectors of the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) is based on innovative development. EAEU countries have extensive scientific potential and experience in introducing advanced applied solutions. In the current conditions, the EAEU needs to emphasize technological sovereignty, specifically developing and using its own innovative technologies in all industries, as well as increasing the competitiveness of these technical achievements in the global market. Combining the potential of EAEU countries could in many respects ensure a quantum leap in this regard. The thorough development of innovations and introduction of advanced technologies into mass production require favourable conditions for scientific and entrepreneurial activities, including regulatory activities, as well as the creation of an entire support infrastructure. Meeting these challenges involves ensuring there is accountability and transparency in the activities of state bodies and consistently combatting corruption.
Supreme audit institutions could significantly contribute to achieving the goals of innovative growth as guarantors of effective public administration and the implementation of key state programmes.

Topics for discussion:
• Ensuring high-quality public administration: training managerial staff, combatting corruption, optimizing decision-making processes when introducing innovative technologies into production, and protecting intellectual property
• Creating conditions for high-tech markets and achieving technological sovereignty
• Hi-tech entrepreneurship: challenges and opportunities
• Creating innovation clusters: support tools
• The role of development institutions in creating innovations
• Forming an environment for the continuous renewal of scientific human resources: creation of the appropriate conditions

Moderator:

Alexey Komissarov — Director General, Russia – Land of Opportunities; Acting Rector, Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration under the President of the Russian Federation (RANEPA)

Panellists:

Dmitry Basko — First Deputy Chairman of the State Control Committee of the Republic of Belarus

Victor Dvurechenskikh — Chairman, Chamber of Control and Accounts of Moscow

Konstantin Dolgov — Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Economic Policy of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation

Dmitriy Zaytsev — Auditor, Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation

Tlegen Kaskin — Member of the Supreme Audit Chamber of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Svetlana Orlova — Auditor of Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation

Mikhail Romanov — First Deputy Chairman of the Committee of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on the Control

Vadim Sadovnikov — Auditor, Accounts Chamber of the Kyrgyz Republic

Front row participants:

Ulugbek Aripov — Chief Inspector, Accounts Chamber of the Republic of Uzbekistan

Zhalol Kurbanov — Chief Inspector, Accounts Chamber of the Republic of Uzbekistan

25.05.2023

10:45–12:15

Olympus Hall, 1st floor, hall 3

Sideline events Broadcast

The Ethics and Regulation of Artificial Intelligence in the EAEU

The regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) is an interesting issue, as it is crucial to not only defining what AI is, but also to finding a reasonable balance between regulation and the creation of conditions for the rapid development of these technologies. We are currently experiencing a boom in the so-called generative neural networks, which include ChatGPT. There is already a trend towards prohibitive regulation in response to their appearance around the world. Starting in January, China has introduced rules requiring the labelling of the activities of generative neural networks. The United States and the European Union have begun shaping their regulatory approaches, particularly for deepfakes. Italy has blocked ChatGPT in the country. Conversely, India has announced that it will not regulate the development of AI. The focus on the ethics of AI is a global trend. More than 20 countries are studying the ethics of AI and have adopted their own ethical documents. More than 30 of the world’s leading AI developers have endorsed corporate ethical guidelines for AI. Such supranational initiatives have been implemented as the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, which was approved by 193 countries. Taking into account the strategic importance of AI technologies for economic development and their positive impact on people’s quality of life, which has been repeatedly proven in such key areas as healthcare and agriculture, to name a few, it is essential to harmonize the approaches of EAEU nations to the regulation of AI and develop a common balanced approach.

Discussion topics
• What ethical and legal issues arise from the use of AI-generated content?
• What measures should developers or the government take to ensure that users treat new technologies, particularly AI, with greater trust and wish to apply these technologies in their daily lives?
• What are the current global trends in AI regulation?
• How effective are soft law instruments in regulating the ethics of AI? What principles of AI ethics are considered the most significant in EAEU countries?

Moderator:

Andrey Neznamov — Managing Director – Head of AI Regulation Center, Sberbank

Panellists:

Aziz Atabekov — Research Institute for the Development of Digital Technologies and Artificial Intelligence of the Republic of Uzbekistan (online)

Nazgul Bazhaeva — Director of the Digital Transformation Department, Ministry of Digital Development, Innovations and Aerospace Industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Sergey Kruglikov — General Director, United Institute of Informatics Problems (online)

Avet Poghosyan — Deputy Minister of High Tech Industry of the Republic of Armenia

Elina Sidorenko — Doctor of Law, Professor; Director of the Center for Digital Economy and Financial Innovation, MGIMO University (online)

Indira Sharshenova — Deputy Minister of Digital Development of the Kyrgyz Republic

25.05.2023

10:45–12:15

Olympus Hall, −1st floor, hall 4

Sideline events Business breakfast Broadcast

EAEU–Indonesia Business Dialogue

by invitation only

The roundtable participants will discuss prospects and new opportunities in trade, investment, and tourism that are opening up in the multipolar world for member states of the Eurasian Union and Indonesia. The roundtable will help search for new solutions and partnerships, expand business contacts, and provide answers to pressing questions that will help in business development.

Moderators:

Daniyar Akkaziev — Executive Director, Russia-ASEAN Business Council

Elena Preobrazhenskaya — Chief Executive Officer, Amarcom

Panellists:

Andrei Angouw — Regent of the Manado region, North Sulawesi Province of the Republic of Indonesia

Alina Arutyunova — Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Tourism of the City of Moscow

Ruslan Bayramov — President, Dialogue of Cultures – United World International Public Charity Fund

Olly Dondokambey — Governor of North Sulawesi Province of the Republic of Indonesia

Imran Im — Chairman, Gerakan Ekonomi Kreatif Nasional

Hanzela Calista — Chief Executive Officer, Manna Indonesia Group PT

Musdhalifah Machmud — Deputy Minister for Food and Agribusiness of the Coordinating Ministry of Economic Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia

Jose Antonio Morato Tavares — Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Indonesia to the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus

Alexander Popov — Chairman, MCCI Commission for Foreign Economic Cooperation with Partners in Indonesia

Eddy Martono Rustamadji — Chairman, Indonesian Palm Oil Association (GAPKI)

Shana Fatina — President Director, Implementing Agency of Labuan Bajo Flores Tourism Authority

Alexey Fursin — Head of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Development Department of Moscow

Aileen Hutomo — Chief Executive Officer, Alimindus Chemicals PT

25.05.2023

12:15–14:45

Olympus Hall, −1st floor, hall 4

Broadcast

EAEU–Indonesia Networking Session

A great opportunity for companies from Indonesia and the Eurasian Economic Union member-states to present themselves and find new partners. The session will be held in the format of short presentations and answers to questions.
A special block of Networking Session is devoted to presentation of the investment projects of the regions of Indonesia and the EAEU countries.

25.05.2023

13:15–14:45

Olympus Hall , −2nd floor, Small Conference Hall

Sideline events Broadcast

Science and Education without Borders

In the era of globalization, integration processes play a key role in the development of post-Soviet states. The effectiveness and depth of such processes directly depend on the development of science and educa-tion. However, there is clearly a need to expand the scope of cooperation between EAEU member nations in matters concerning education and science as well as to improve existing programmes for the develop-ment of the higher education system in the Union’s member states. Particular attention should be paid to expanding the academic mobility of students and professors of higher educational institutions, developing a system of student exchanges, and training personnel for Eurasian integration. In addition, in an effort to get a more accurate and complete understanding of the prospects for developing cooperation between EAEU member nations in education and science, the discussion will address prospects for unifying the standards of educational programmes or, conversely, methods for their internationalization.

Topics for discussion:
· How can the academic mobility programme be changed to make it more attractive to young people in EAEU countries?
· What formats and initiatives could promote young people’s involvement in the joint scientific pro-jects of EAEU countries?
· What conditions are needed for the EAEU to become a centre of attraction for promising young professionals from all over the world?
· What are the prospects for the EEC joint master’s programme that is being created and flagship universities of EAEU member countries?
· What specialists are needed today for Eurasian integration, and what knowledge, expertise, and skills should be emphasized to develop the relevant programmes?

Moderator:

Anatoly Torkunov — Rector, MGIMO University

Panellists:

Chinara Adamkulova — Rector, Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic

Alexey Egorov — Rector, Belarusian State University of Economics

Konstantin Kozadaev — Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs and Internationalization of Education, Belarusian State University

Konstantin Mogilevsky — Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation

Mikhail Myasnikovich — Chairman of the Board, Eurasian Economic Commission (online)

Hovhannes Hovhannisyan — Rector, Yerevan State University

25.05.2023

13:15–14:45

Olympus Hall, 1st floor, Roundtable Hall

EAEU Business Council section

Meeting of the Presidium of the EAEU Business Council

by invitation only

The EAEU Business Council is a permanent coordinating and advisory body for the business community. It brings together major business associations from across the Eurasian Economic Union. Among its members are the Union of Manufacturers and Businessmen of Armenia, the Confederation of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Belarus (a union of non-profit organizations), the Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, and the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs. The next closed meeting of the Presidium of the EAEU Business Council will take place on 24 May 2023. Attendees will focus on key issues on the Eurasian integration agenda, including Russia’s priorities during its chairmanship, and key objectives of the Eurasian business community.

Moderator:

Alexander Shokhin — President, Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs

Panellists:

Danil Ibraev — President, Kyrgyz Union of Manufactures and Entrepreneurs

Sergey Krasilnikov — Vice President, Managing Director of the International Relations and Integration Directorate, Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP)

Alexander Murychev — Vice President for Financial Policy and Economic Sector Development, Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP)

Armen Nersisyan — Founder, Director, Credit Partner; Member of the Audit Commission, Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Armenia (UIEA)

Aliaksandr Panasiuk — Republication Association of Enterprises Industry BelAPP

Anatoly Kharlap — Chairman, Confederation of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of the Republic of Belarus (online)