St. Petersburg, Russia, 9-10 November 2005

This workshop was organised within the framework of an OECD project on investment policy and business integrity in the Russian Federation and benefited from the support of the European Commission.  It addressed the role and responsibilities of the regions in shaping the investment and business environment and consider business integrity and private-public interaction in the fight against corruption. The workshop was structured as follows:

• Business and investment climate in Russian regions
• Business integrity and private-public interaction in the fight against corruption
• Policy options for the Russian Federation and Russian regions in light of OECD experience in promoting investment and enhancing business integrity and public-private partnership in the fight against corruption

Participants from the Russian Federation included officials from the federal government and regional administrations and representatives of foreign investors and the private sector. Domestic and international governmental and non-governmental organisations were represented by participants with a particular interest in regional investment issues and anti-corruption work.

Workshop material

Please note that presentations are available in original language only.

• Summary of discussions
• Agenda and issues for discussion [ English / Russian ]
• List of participants
• OECD investor survey on investment policy transparency and implementation in Russia
• A Policy Framework for Investment: Draft Preamble, Checklists and Preliminary Annotations
• A Policy Framework for Investment: Investment Policy
• A Policy Framework for Investment: Investment Promotion and Facilitation
• Investment and Business Climate in the Astrakhan Region
• Investment and Business Climate in the Republic of Bashkortostan
• Investment and Business Climate in the North-West Region
• Draft study on "Business integrity and public-private interaction in the fight against corruption" [ English / Russian ]

Session I: Business and Investment Climate in Russian Regions: Setting the Stage

• Opening Remarks, Maxime Filandrov, European Commission Delegation in St. Petersburg
• Investment Climate in the Republic of Bashkortostan, Svetlana Andreeva, Regional Development Programmes, Republic of Bashkortostan
• Investment Climate in the North-West Region, Slava Khodko, North-West Investment (Development) Agency
• Investment into the Small and Medium Size Business in Finland, Tarja Tiirikainen, Finnish-Russian Chamber of Commerce, St. Petersburg
• Glossary of selected terms and instruments for Session I [ Glossary of selected terms and intstruments / Russian ]

Session II:  Business Integrity and Private-Public Inter-Action in the Fight Against Corruption: Progress and Challenges

• Presentation of the Integrity Study on the Novgorod and Tver Regions, Sergey Pakhomenko, INDEM Foundation (Information Science for Democracy)
• The role and benefits of codes of conduct and compliance programmes, François Vincke, Wilkie, Farr and Gallagher
• Impact of the Administrative Reform on the Investment Climate in the Tver Region, Andrey Loshakov, Deputy Governor, Tver Region
• Prepare for change and encourage corporate anti-corruption, Birgitta Nygren, Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs
• Problem of corruption in the context of Russia, Sergey Lithovchenko, Russian Association of Managers
• Glossary of selected terms and instruments on Session II [ English / Russian ]

Session III: Policy Options for the Russian Federation and Russian Regions in Light of OECD Experience in Promoting Investment and Enhancing Business Integrity and Public-Private Partnership in the Fight Against Corruption

• EBRD - Your Partner in North-West Russia, Tetsuya Uchida, EBRD
• Development of Regional Potential, Sergey Balenev, St. Petersburg Foundation for SME Support
• Interaction between the government and the business sector, Maria Chernobrovkina, St. Petersburg Chapter, American Chamber of Commerce in Russia

Further reading

• Investment Policy Review of the Russian Federation, OECD, 2004
• The Investment Environment in the Russian Federation: Laws, Policies and Institutions, OECD, 2001
• OECD Convention Against Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions
• Russian language version of the text of the OECD Bribery Convention and the Commentaries on the Convention, the Revised Recommendation and the 1996 Recommendation on Tax Deductibility of Bribes to Foreign Officials (unofficial translation)
• OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises  
• Public Sector Transparency and the International Investor  
• Checklist for Foreign Direct Investment Policies  
• FDI for Development: Maximising Benefits, Minimising Costs
• Policy Brief: the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises – a key Corporate Responsibility Instrument
• Policy Brief: Fighting Bribery in International Business Deals

Workshop organisers

For questions regarding substantive matters, please contact:

Investment - Ms. Blanka Kalinova, OECD Investment Division, Paris
Tel: 00 33-1 45 24 89 23; blanka.kalinova@oecd.org 

Business integrity - Ms. Nicola Ehlermann-Cache, OECD Anti-Corruption Division, Paris
Tel: 00 33-1 45 24 17 48; nicola.ehlermann-cache@oecd.org

For questions concerning attendance and logistics, please contact:

Mr.Thomas Dannequin, OECD Investment Division, Paris
Tel: 00 33-1 45 24 81 56; Email: thomas.dannequin@oecd.org

Mr. Filipp Chayka, St. Petersburg
Tel: 7 812 313 47 24; Fax: 7 812 313 49 00; fil@cic.spb.ru