On September 24, one of CIPE Russian partners, Union of Business Associations OPORA, held a meeting in Moscow to discuss its program “Priorities for SME Development in Russia in 2008-2012.” SME representatives from 70 regions of Russia as well as several government representatives (among them Arkadi Dvorkovich, Kremlin Economic Advisor; Igor Artemiev, Head of the Federal Anti-Monopoly Service; and Russian Chief Medical Officer Gennady Onischenko) talked about the current SME situation and the government’s approach to SME development.
While the government officials seemed to focus more on long-term perspectives and 30,000-feet picture, OPORA President Sergey Borisov suggested to focus more on current issues such as bridging the gap between federal legislation and local implementation, strengthening SME rights and competitiveness, and streamlining SME taxation policies (see synopsys of Borisov’s speech in Russian here).
The idea of bridging the gap between federal legislation and local implementation has been the leitmotif ot CIPE’s work with OPORA since 2001. Under the USAID-funded project “SME Policy Advocacy in Russia,” CIPE, OPORA, and the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry have been advocating for legislative changes on the federal level, having consolidated input from 17 regional business coalitions ivolved in the project. To see examples of their achievement, read success stories from Spring 2008 and Winter 2007.
Published Date: September 30, 2008