On 7 September, 2021 a business dialogue was held between the Association of Italian industry (Confindustria Italia) (chair in B20, 2021) and the Russian Union of Industrialists and entrepreneurs (RSPP) in the videoconference format.
General Director Oleg Berezovoy took part in the event on behalf of the FBA EAC.
The dialogue was moderated by Alexander Shokhin. In his opening speech, the President of the RSPP noted that the pandemic has significantly changed development directions of business in Russia and the world in general. At the moment the priority areas for the international business community are healthcare, digital cooperation and "green" technologies.
The representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the "Group of Twenty" Svetlana Lukash in her speech thanked all the participants of the event for continuing a constructive dialogue in the conditions of the pandemic. She stressed that the primary task now is to build an inclusive world and preserve people's life and health. The representative of the President of the Russian Federation also noted that in order to achieve these goals, it is necessary to quit implementation of protectionist and restrictive measures and stop politicization in the field of trade and investment.
Chairman of the Business Twenty, President and CEO of Marcegaglia Holding Emma Marcegaglia expressed gratitude to Alexander Shokhin for his work within the framework of the Business Twenty and confirmed the need to increase the pace of vaccination of the population, ensure equal access to vaccines for all countries and overcome disagreements in the field of health that have political connotations.
Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Alexey Overchuk in his video message confirmed the need to develop an adaptive and flexible format of international cooperation in the current conditions and thanked his Italian colleagues for the opportunity to get acquainted with the proposed solutions before the G20 summit.
In his speech the Chairman of the RSPP Committee for International Cooperation Viktor Vekselberg focused on the importance of the development of digital technologies as a tool for overcoming inequality and also stressed the need for joint work in the field of combating cybercrime and stimulating the improvement of digital literacy of the society.
During the event the heads of large companies and high-ranking representatives of the authorities delivered speeches: Vice President of Norilsk Nickel Dmitry Pristanskov, Deputy Minister of Health of the Russian Federation Oleg Salagai, Deputy Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation Bella Cherkesova, Chairman of the B20 Task Force on Health and Natural Sciences, Vice President for Natural Sciences of the Assolombarda Association Sergio Dompe, Representative of the Chairman of the B20 Task Force on Finance and Infrastructure, Intesa Sanpaolo Chief Executive Officer Hugo Doyle.
The event was held in a constructive business manner.