Author: Vision & Global Trends – 05/03/2020
New EAEU and EU Commissions must seize opportunities for dialogue
Moscow, March 4, 2020 – At the “EAEU and EU -Outlook for 2020” conference of the Lisbon-Vladivostok Initiative, the leading representatives from Germany, Italy, and Russia clarify their expectations towards the new commissions of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the European Union (EU).
“Free trade from Lisbon to Vladivostok is a vision that can -and must -be filled with life through concrete cooperation” says Ulf Schneider, Co-Chairman of the Lisbon-Vladivostok Initiative and President of SCHNEIDER GROUP. “We need official dialogue on a technical level. Cooperation on very practical projects helps the economy of the Eurasian Economic Union and the European Union equally.”
Sergey Katyrin, President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce, signed the joint memorandum of the Initiative during the conference. This brings the circle of supporters to around 100 associations and companies from 8 countries.
Ernesto Ferlenghi, President of the association of Italian industrialists Confindustria Russia explains: “The EAEU representsa promising 183 million market, which is a third of the total population of Europe. Thanks to the strong economic growth of the EAEU member countries, the total gross domestic product of the Eurasian Economic Union amounts to almost USD 2 trillion. We should not ignore the opportunities that arise in various economic sectors of the Union. There is no doubt that European companies will benefit from the harmonisation of rules and standards“.
The German-Russian Chamber of Commerce (AHK), with 900 member companies the largest foreign trade association in Russia, also supports the Lisbon-Vladivostok Initiative. “The Initiative is an essential step towards strengthening cooperation in Eurasia” underlines Matthias Schepp, Chairman of the Board of Directors of AHK Russia. “Only together can we meet the new economic power China and its gigantic Silk Road project on an equal footing and as equal partners“. According to the business climate survey, conducted annually by AHK and the German Eastern Business Association (OAOEV), an overwhelming majority of German companies in Russia support the idea of a common economic space from Lisbon to Vladivostok.
About the Lisbon-Vladivostok Initiative – Since 2015, the business Initiative has been calling for a constructive, official dialogue between the EU and the Eurasian Economic Union EAEU. The EAEU is an economic union founded in 2014 by Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Around 100 companies, associations, and think tanks from 8 countries have since joined the Initiative. A working group meets several times a year in EU and EAEU countries with the participation of political and economic decision makers. Concrete projects to harmonize customs regulations, tax legislation, technical norms and standards, logistics and infrastructure, and mobility and visa regimes are on the Initiative’s agenda.
source: Initiative for a Common Economic Space from Lisbon to Vladivostok