The III Stolypin Forum Starts at MGIMO

3 September 2020

September 3^rd, the III Stolypin Forum started its work at MGIMO and had for main topic: “The immune system of the world economy”.

The Stolypin Forum is a platform which brings together Russian and foreign experts, entrepreneurs, representatives of leading international corporations to discuss the world economy and the economic prospects of individual countries, industries and companies.

The forum was opened by MGIMO Rector A.Torkunov, by the Commissioner for the Protection of the Rights of Entrepreneurs under the President of Russia, Member of the Coordination Council of the Trianon Dialogue B.Titov and the Head of the Department of Science, Industrial Policy and Entrepreneurship of the City of Moscow A.Fursin.

Held at MGIMO for the third time, the forum is an attractive event for business and entrepreneurial circles.

“Business and education are deeply interconnected. Over the past 30 years MGIMO has been training experts in economics and business administration. Moreover the University has a very active business incubator, and many young people pursue after graduation the business projects initiated during their student days”, noted the Rector.

“This platform is the first entrepreneurial forum in Russia and the first post-quarantine entrepreneurial forum. All firms were affected by the coronavirus crisis, and this event is a unique opportunity to discuss the problems that have emerged. Businesses did not go into self-isolation, but nevertheless the losses are significant”, B.Titov noted.

A.Fursin underlined that while doctors and scientists are working on a vaccine to save people, that “we, as cities, businesses, need to develop a vaccine for the economy, a vaccine for entrepreneurship, a vaccine for entrepreneurs”, and that today’s meeting is the first step in that direction.

A panel discussion on the "Entrepreneur Profession" involved the General Director of JSC "Business Environment" V.Tarasov, the Head of the Department of Science, Industrial Policy and Entrepreneurship of the City of Moscow A.Fursin, the Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation E.Dybova, the entrepreneur and creator of the program "Academy of School Entrepreneurship" I.Moruchkov and the founder of the “Business Enterprise Factory "A.Bulatov.

During a special afternoon session on "Globalization vs Localization" ("Politics as a Concentrated Expression of COVID-19"), officials and experts from Europe and Asia presented their views on future trends in economic policy.

The session was co-moderated by A.Torkunov and attended by B.Titov, the Commissioner for the Protection of the Rights of Entrepreneurs under the President of Russia, A.Gruzdev, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, and the Ambassadors of Italy, Sweden, Portugal, Great Britain and other countries.

The Italian Ambassador to Russia Pasquale Terracciano gave a talk about how Italy, the first country in Europe confronted with the pandemic, coped with this threat, explained what resources were devoted to economic recovery and how they helped.

The Ambassador of Great Britain to Russia, Deborah Bronnert noted that the problems of digital development and the "green economy" should be tackled in parallel and she spoke in detail about the UK's transition to renewable energy and the digital transformation of the economy.

A.Gruzdev presented the different governmental measures taken to promote the transition to a "green economy" and the support measures that already exist or are planned within the framework of the "green modernization" of enterprises.

The Ambassador of Sweden to Russia Malena Mard spoke about how the coronavirus pandemic has affected the Swedish economy and how the government plans to support the recovery of society and business after the pandemic.

Paulo Vizeu Pinheiro, Ambassador of Portugal to Russia, explaiend how various sectors of the Portuguese economy, in particular the tourism industry, will recover.

The Chairman of the Board of the Russian-German Chamber of Commerce Matthias Schepp, the Head of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) Umetsu Tetsuya and others also expressed their opinions.

Representatives of states, businesses and the expert community gathered at the plenary discussion of the first day "The immune system of the world economy" to discuss the increasing role of the state in the economy and the need for protectionist measures. The speakers calculated the losses to the economy, talked about the benefits of targeted protectionist measures and how businesses can survive in the current conditions.

The discussion was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Y.Borisov, the founder of RUSAL Group of Companies, the founder of the Free Business Fund O.Deripaska, the Commissioner for the Protection of the Rights of Entrepreneurs under the President of Russia, B.Titov, the Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Economic Policy and Property and Land Relations V.Efimov, the Chairman of the Board of the Association of Young Entrepreneurs of Russia S.Gruzdev. The Vice President for Development, Finance and Institutions of the World Bank, the Director for Global Economy and Development in the Office of the Chief Economist of the EBRD A.Plekhanov, the Senior Vice President for the North Sea and Russia region at Total Arnaud Le Foll, the Director of the Environment Office of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Rodolfo Lacey Tamayo joined the discussion online.

Other questions on the agenda were priority sectors and their contribution to the Russian economy and the most effective measures to support businesses in Russia and abroad. During the discussion, speakers tried to understand why some economies were more affected by the pandemic than others and which are the best scenarios for the economic recovery of different countries, considering their levels of development.