ICEUR – Vienna boosts EU-Russian business relations
Despite the gloomy economic outlook and the political hiccups in EU-Russian relations ,the 6th meeting of the Vienna Process
yielded mileage in both fields. In a frank and lively discussion, the major stumbling blocks preventing tangible progress were
addressed and explained against the backdrop of diverging interests....
29.10.2012
The new dynamic of Russian politics: the ascent of civil society
On 29 October, 2012, an ICEUR-Vienna Round Table addressed the topic The
new dynamic of Russian politics: the ascent of civil society. Co-hosted by
the Karl-Renner-Institute and the Diplomatic Academy, this event drew...
05.06.2012
Business Ventures: Azerbaijan – Austria
This unique business-to-business conference provided a platform for leading
Azerbaijani and Austrian business representatives as well as high-ranking Azerbaijani government officials
to facilitate the cooperation between Azerbaijani and Austrian business...
16.03.2012
5th Vienna Process: Investment and capital movement after Russian elections
This special seminar for industrial and financial investors in cooperation with the Institute of
Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IERAS), the Builders Association of Russia (ASR), Renner
Institute (RI) and the Federation of Austrian Industries (IV) provided a distinguished assessment of Russia’s
investment climate...
02-04.11.2011
4th Vienna Process: Major results of the 4th expert meeting
The fourth meeting of Russian-EU experts and entrepreneurs in the framework of the Vienna Process took place between 2 and
4 November 2011 in the Federal Ministry of Economy, Family and Youth and the Federation of Austrian Industries and was organized in cooperation with
the IMEMO (Institute of World Economy and International Relations), the ASR (Association of Russian Builders) and the Renner Institute. The main topic
was the EU-Russia Partnership for Modernization. In this framework different themes were discussed, like Russia’s WTO policy, technological Innovations,
EU Norms & Standards. During the last day of the conference the focus of attention were the company presentations from Europe and Russia.
27-28.07.2011
Round Table. Russia: Preparing for Elections
Gleb Pavlovsky is a prominent Russian political scientist and expert on political technologies. He was a member of the campaign headquarters
of the Presidential election campaigns of 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008. Also he is the author of numerous articles published in national and
weekly newspapers and participates in various national TV-programs
Konstantin von Eggert was, from 1998 to 2009 the Moscow Bureau Editor of the BBC Russian Service. He is an independent analyst and Writer on
Russian and International Affairs and the Morning Show Anchor at Radio Kommersant FM.
27-28.07.2011
ICEUR cooperates with Russian regions
ICEUR supports the development strategy for the North Caucasus and has taken concrete steps to
participate in its realization. Under the auspices of the
Economic Forum in Dagestan (27-28 July, 2011), infrastructural as well
as capacity building projects were identified and discussed. ICEUR pledged to find suitable partners and institutions from Austria
and other EU countries. Currently, business plans are elaborated in tandem with construction firms and insurance companies.
Gleb Pavlovsky is a prominent Russian political scientist and expert on political technologies.
He was ...
24.06.2011
ICEUR strengthens regional ties
In response to invitations and initiatives launched by Russian
regions, ICEUR has started to enter cooperative relationships
with Stavropol´ Krai and the Dagestan Republic. Both North Caucasian regions have ambitious
development goals and are interested in know how transfer and investment
projects. Last month, ICEUR held negotiations with the President of the
Stavropol´ Chamber of Commerce and Trade, Mr. A.Y. Murga, and concluded an
agreement with the Ministry of Tourism of the Dagestan republic. During
the following months, concrete opportunities for cooperation will be
sounded out.
03.05.2011
Alexey MALASHENKO: Will Russia become a Muslim Society?
"I don't know with what I could start, because this is a
book about Islam in Russia, this is a book about muslimhood in Russia, but meanwhile
after this has been published we had so many events in Arab world and
Muslim world..."
10-11.03.2011
VIENNA PROCESS: Major results of the 3rd expert meeting
The main objective of this event was the deepening of contacts with the Russian building industries. Russian building
companies are organized in the Association of Russian Builders which comprises 1500
members...
13 - 15.12.2010
Visit of Kazakh Partners to Vienna.
A delegation of ICEUR´s Kazakh partners (Foundation of the First president, Almaty)
is scheduled to arrive in Vienna on 13 December. The working meeting will focus on a
planned joint publication covering contemporary trends in Kazakh economy, society and
politics. A further talking point is the continuation of the joint project on European
standards which is to examine the possibility to implement EU human rights standards
in Kazakhstan.
17.11.2010
Sergey Karaganov Master Class in Vienna
The ICEUR Master Class with Sergei Karaganov was held in the Media Club of the Austrian Parliament on 17th November,
2010...
04.11.2010-06.11.2010
Legal Cultures: Kick-off meeting in Vienna
The kick-off meeting in the framework of the ICEUR project “legal cultures in 7 post-Soviet countries”
(EUR-LEX) was held in Vienna between 4 and 6 November,
2010 and...
04.10.2010-06.10.2010
VIENNA PROCESS: Major results of the 2nd expert meeting
The second meeting of Russian-EU experts in the framework of the Vienna Process took place between 4 and 6 October, 2010.
The Russian ambassador, Mr. Nechaev, attended the opening in person and...
26.03.2010
Grigory Yavlinskiy master class in Vienna
Yavlinskiy
master class sparks buoyant discussion, generates new
ideas...
20 - 21.03.2010
Agenda Workshop ICEUR Insight Studies Kick-off Seminar 20th-21th March 2010
The Agenda
Workshop ICEUR Insight Studies Kick-off Seminar took
place...
“Civil Society in the Republic of
Kazakhstan: State and Prospects”
On the invitation
of of “The First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Foundation”,
two members of the International
Center...
24-27.05.2009
Federation of Austrian Industries in Moscow
ICEUR
The first ICEUR journey of the “Höldrichsmühler Kreis” from the Federation of Austrian Industries
(Industriellen Vereinigung Österreich) to Moscow took place from 24th to
27th May 2009...
NEWS AND EVENTS 2009 - 2013
6th Vienna Process: ICEUR – Vienna boosts EU-Russian business relations
Despite the gloomy economic outlook and the political hiccups in EU-Russian relations ,the 6th meeting of the Vienna Process
yielded mileage in both fields. In a frank and lively discussion, the major stumbling blocks preventing tangible progress were
addressed and explained against the backdrop of diverging interests. The representatives of the international community underscored
particularly the enabling environment of the event which assembled a select group of personally invited participants. For its part,
ICEUR expressed its gratitude for the support that both Brussels and Moscow invariably extend for its activities and initiatives.
The ICEUR business forum brought together companies from Russia, Italy, Austria and Germany. Our strategy to prepare tailor-made
and customized meetings between businesses with dovetailing interests paid off: Concrete and promising projects between Austrian viz.
Italian and Russian companies were initiated and LOIs were signed. Further projects in the field of trading, environmental protection as
well as banking and investments are in the pipeline. ICEUR will be involved in these projects during their whole lifecycle, offering
consulting and troubleshooting services.
The new dynamic of Russian politics: the ascent of civil society
On 29 October, 2012, an ICEUR-Vienna Round Table addressed the topic The
new dynamic of Russian politics: the ascent of civil society. Co-hosted by
the Karl-Renner-Institute and the Diplomatic Academy, this event drew a
select audience from the international and diplomatic and business
communities.
Our invited guests, protagonists of the new civil movement as
well as experts and analysts, explained their views, conceptions and
strategies for revamping the Russian political system. They agreed on the
fact that the internet has become the major political battleground, but
also that there is no interface that may provide a communication channel
for the interaction between government and opposition.
Business Ventures: Azerbaijan – Austria
This unique business-to-business conference provided a platform for leading Azerbaijani and Austrian business representatives as well
as high-ranking Azerbaijani government officials to facilitate the cooperation between Azerbaijani and Austrian business.
Among the numerous prominent participants were Muşfiq Amirov, IT-Advisor to the Azerbaijani Minister of
Communications, Samir Rajabov, CEO of Istilik Sistemleri Servis Merkezi - ISSM MMM, Rahim Sultanov, CEO of
Caspian Service Ltd., Volkan Aksoy, Director of AzTexmontaj, Elnur Abbasov from Mugan Bank, Javad Farajev,
Director of Granata Ltd. as well as Orkhan Valiyev, Representative of AzPromo in Vienna.
As a result of this event, joint business projects between Azerbaijani and Austrian companies are under discussion.
5th Vienna Process: Investment and capital movement after Russian elections
This special seminar for industrial and financial investors in cooperation with the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IERAS) ,
the Builders Association of Russia (ASR), Renner Institute (RI) and the Federation of Austrian Industries (IV) provided a distinguished assessment of Russia’s
current investment climate.
In particular, the issues of capital movement and financial markets in Russia, the implications of the legal framework, Russia’s WTO accession, the implementation of EU norms and standards as well as the general prospects of the Russian economy were elaborated in great detail.
VIENNA PROCESS: Major results of the 4th expert meeting
The fourth meeting of Russian-EU experts and entrepreneurs in the framework of the Vienna Process
took place between 2 and 4 November 2011 in the Federal Ministry of Economy, Family and Youth and the Federation of Austrian
Industries and was organized in cooperation with the IMEMO (Institute of World Economy and International Relations), the ASR
(Association of Russian Builders) and the Renner Institute. The agenda was a unique combination of discussions among top-level
experts, drafting of recommendations and business consulting. Since ICEUR has conducted a ground-breaking study on Russia´s WTO
accession sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Economy, Family and Youth, discussions zoomed in on this issue.
In addition to in-house discussions, the ASR delegation had the opportunity to visit the testing site of the
Austrian TÜV (the accredited agency for technical standards and compliance). TÜV experts and scientists from the Vienna
School of Technology (Prof. Wiegand) also contributed to the substantial discussions. The Russian side proposed the
establishment of a European-Russian center in Vienna which would be mandated to facilitate the reform of the Russian
system of accreditation, to improve compliance with European and international norms and standards, and, generally,
achieve knowledge transfer in this field. The proposal was well received and is currently under discussion. This and
other ideas were incorporated in the expert platform.
The memorandum which reports
on the 4th meeting and makes policy recommendations was the subject of an animated and still ongoing debate.
It will be complemented and finalized till the end of November. We attach the draft of the memorandum in the version
presented at the conference. After analyzing and discussing the issues handled in the memorandum it will be sent again
to government agencies and stakeholders.
Gleb Pavlovsky is a prominent Russian political scientist and expert on political technologies.
He was a member of the campaign headquarters of the Presidential election campaigns of 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008.
Also he is the author of numerous articles published in national and weekly newspapers and participates
in various national TV-programs
Current positions:
• President of the Foundation for Effective Policy
• President of the Russian Institute
• Editor-in-chief and Publisher of the Russian Journal and Pushkin Magazine
• Former Councilor to the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation
• Member of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation
• Professor of the State University Higher School of Economics
Alexey MALASHENKO: Will Russia become a Muslim Society?
Introduction
I don't know with what I could start, because this is a book about Islam in Russia,
this is a book about muslimhood in Russia, but meanwhile after this has been published
we had so many events in Arab world and Muslim world – the recent event: the assassination
of Bin Laden. So it seems to me it would be better if I try to talk about the actual
situation including inside it the Muslim situation, Islamic situation in Russia itself because look:
here we wrote "Will Russia Become a Muslim Society?". Of course this is a speculation. Russia is
a part of Europe, Russia is a part of Muslim world, because of minorities, some minorities which exists in Russia,
Muslim minorities, because of some aspects of its foreign politics, so I don't want to talk about double standards […]
but however indeed Russia partially is included in Muslim World and it means that practically all events that take place,
would it be in northern Africa, in Afghanistan, in Iran, in Pakistan, everywhere have some impacts on Russia itself and on
Muslims and Russians too.
VIENNA PROCESS: Major results of the 3rd expert meeting
The main objective of this event was the deepening of contacts with the Russian building industries.
Russian building companies are organized in the Association of Russian Builders which comprises 1,500 members and has a strictly hierarchical structure.
The Association leadership (N. Koshman, President of the Association and M. Kaykov, President of the Association of Railroad Construction Companies had
expressed the wish to come to Vienna with a delegation including experts sent by the 15 Russian standardization agencies as well as several construction
companies. The composition of this delegation reflected the high political significance of the construction branch: Mr.Koshman has a background in the
security apparatus and railroad construction which is directed by Mr. Kaykov, enjoys high priority.
The Russian delegation wanted to inform themselves about the organization and the procedures applied by European
standardization agencies. The background agenda of the visit to Vienna was to accelerate the process of introducing EU norms to Russia. The ARB
defines itself as a protagonist of this process, since the planned construction projects can be realized only on the basis of EU norms and
concrete experiences in their application. In the framework of the Winter Olympics and the Football World Championships in 2018 large
infrastructural construction projects will be realized. Major projects include the construction of 5 high-speed railways.
The ARB explicitly invites Austrian companies to participate in these projects. In the first line, they target construction companies
with a track record in railway construction as well as producers of relevant equipment. The cooperation with the FAI is highlighted as
a highly desirable objective. As can be gathered from the enclosed program, some Austrian companies used the opportunity to present their
business and to talk with their Russian counterparts.
We attach the draft for a memorandum proposed by the Russian side which epitomizes the
goals for Russian construction industries and the possibilities for cooperation with European countries.
Memorandum sent to government agencies and stakeholdersThe recommendations framed as a result of the discussions during the 3rd meeting of the Vienna Process (10-11 March, 2011) were sent to the following organizations:
- Commission, Customs Union
- Executive Committee, CIS
- Ministry of Industry and Trade, RF
- Ministry of Regional Development, RF
- Federal Agency for Technical Regulation and Metering
- Committee for Construction and Land Relations, State Duma, Federal Assembly, RF
- Association of European Business
- Belarusian State Institute of Standardization and Certification
- State Committee for Standardization, Belarusian Republic
- Ukrainian Builders Association
- National Union of Builders
- Russian Railways, Inc.
- Committee for Technical Regulation, Standardization and Compliance Certification, Russian Union of Entrepreneurs and Industrialists
Letters to President Medvedev and Premier Putin summarizing the positions of the Association of Russian Builders and the Union of
Railway Builders were delivered together with the attached memorandum
Among the EU institutions and organizations contacted were:
- European Commission Enterprise and Industries
- CEN-CENELEC Management Centre
- European Federation of Construction Industries
- Unit for Relations with Russia, Northern Dimension Policy, Directorate-General for External Relations, European Commission
As a concrete result, we agreed to organize capacity building seminars for Russian companies as well as for Austrian
firms interested in projects in Russia.
Besides the organization of such seminars a further concrete service offered by ICEUR consists in support for
companies planning to participate in Russian tenders. Considering the structure of the Russian building industry this activity may be of high importance
for bids by Austrian firms. ICEUR has already positioned one of its partners, the Austrian construction company PORR in the framework of the EU-Russia
Round Table of Industrialists.
Karaganov Master Class in Vienna
The ICEUR Master Class with Sergei Karaganov
The ICEUR Master Class with Sergei Karaganov was held in the Media Club of the Austrian
Parliament on 17 November, 2011. Mr. Karaganov, a top security advisor of several Russian presidents, is known for
his pronounced views and pointed formulations. Speaking to a select audience drawn from the international and diplomatic
community, he insisted that Europe´s energy diversification strategy would not pan out any time soon. The EU would continue
to be dependent on Russian energy carriers for decades to come. Conversely, he stated that Russia has embarked on a strategy
of low-price shopping for high tech products which makes her less dependent on European investments. When it comes to strategy,
the US is considered the only adequate counterpart. Europe, however, remains a model for Russia in terms of civility and best
democratic practices.
Legal Cultures: Kick-off meeting in Vienna
The kick-off meeting in the framework of the ICEUR project “legal cultures in 7 post-Soviet countries” (EUR-LEX)
The kick-off meeting in the framework of the ICEUR project “legal cultures
in 7 post-Soviet countries” (EUR-LEX) was held in Vienna between 4 and 6 November, 2010 and ushered in the operative stage of the project.
Its objective was to discuss the matrix of topics for cross-country comparisons and to determine the final format of the project report.
The participant authors, who are legal scholars and practitioners, agreed that the country reports should present the status quo of
legislation in a number of business-relevant fields and should also contain a section on legal loopholes and the desiderata of future
legislation. The extent and depth of these analyses is determined by the individual authors, who operate under different legal and political
constraints. Preliminary reports are to be submitted by February, 2010.
VIENNA PROCESS: Major results of the 2nd expert meeting
The second meeting of Russian-EU experts in the framework of the Vienna Process
took place between 4 and 6 October, 2010. The Russian ambassador, Mr. Nechaev, attended the opening in person and in his address expressed the support for ICEUR´s activities.
The Russian FM was represented by Mr. Voronkov, the Director of the Department of European Cooperation. The EU Commission had delegated
Mr. Benedict from the Russian Unit, RELEX and Mr. Hammarén of the EU Delegation in Russia.
The agenda was dominated by questions of economic cooperation. The Russian brain trust
INSOR had prepared a report proposing a new deal
concerning EU-Russian cooperation in the post-Soviet space. This report had been circulated in limited numbers and was presented at this
meeting to a broader public. The report aims at mitigating political tensions, at breaking the habits of considering the European
neighborhood the home turf of one of the sides and at diminishing the risk of new confrontations. An abridged version will be published
on the ICEUR web site soon.
The discussion on a new pan-European security architecture had a clearly economic focus in that it zoomed in on soft security.
WTO accession by Russia was highlighted as a precondition for progress in all other areas. The following discussion of economic
and financial relations corroborated this view and focused on the issue of the compatibility of Russian and European standards.
The assessment of leading Russian and Austrian economic research institutes converges when it comes to the status quo and the
potential of the Russian economy.
The first expert platform had proposed, among other things, the inclusion of SMEs into the EU-Russian industrial dialogue. In realization
of this demand the CEOs of European high tech firms were invited to present their company profile in the presence of high-ranking officials
representing the EU-Russian Round Table of Industrialists. This part of the program proved to be extremely useful and effective. The audience
was highly impressed by the achievements in terms of knowledge transfer, smart problem solutions, and the worldwide operation range of
relatively small companies in the fields of engineering, IT and consulting. Presenters included TECON Engineering (Austria), FIPRA Network
(Brussels), GES Electronics (Germany) and hpc (Vienna). A major tangible outcome of the company presentations was the pledge of the
EU-Russian Round Table representatives to explore the possibilities to support their activities in the framework of the modernization
program and to encourage their participation through solicited bids in relevant tenders. ICEUR had also invited Mr. Kaikov, the president
of the Russian Union of Railway Constructors, who was interested in contacts with Austrian construction companies. The long-range objective
of such contacts is the adaptation of Russian to European standards which are planned to be implemented in such large-scale construction
projects as the high-speed railway track from Moscow to St. Petersburg. The meetings proved to be highly constructive and promising. As a
result of our endeavors, participants agreed to dedicate the next meeting scheduled for mid-February, 2011, exclusively to economic and
industrial cooperation.
Propositions, recommendations and suggestions advanced during the meeting were integrated into the expert platform which has been under
discussion since May, 2010 and summarizes the results achieved at this point.
ICEUR short-circuits with The Global Policy Forum
The Global Policy Forum 'The Modern State: Standards of Democracy and Criteria of Efficiency' was held under the patronage of President
of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev on 10 September, 2010. Yaroslavl, which celebrates its millennium anniversary in this year,
brought together influential statesmen and politicians, representatives of business community, including business innovators; eminent
scientists and educators; experts in the field of political science, economics and law from many countries.
Organizers of Global Policy Forum 'The Modern State: Standards of Democracy and Criteria of Efficiency' - are the Institute of Public Designing,
the Institute of Modern Development and Yaroslavl State University named after PG Demidov.
The Global Policy Forum continued the discussion started at the International Conference 'Modern State and Global Security' about the role and
the place of modern states in ensuring safe and sustainable development. This international conference was held September 14, 2009 in Yaroslavl
with the participation of the Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, the Prime Minister of France, F. Fillon and the Prime Minister of Spain, L.
Rodriguez Zapatero. The International Conference was attended by over 500 experts from 18 countries, 165 Russian and foreign media and 425
journalists covered the work of the International Conference. Details about the GPF Yaroslavl can be found at
en.gpf-yaroslavl.ru/.
The Institute of Modern Development (www.riocenter.ru/en) and the Foundation for Effective Politics (www.fep.ru) as well as many other
participants of the Global Policy Forum in Yaroslavl are also partners of the International Center for Advanced and Comparative EU-Russia (NIS)
Research - ICEUR-Vienna as well as participants of the Vienna Process. Consequently, ICEUR starts a close cooperation with the GPF Yaroslavl.
As a first step, we will report about each other´s activities.
Yavlinskiy
master class sparks buoyant discussion, generates new ideas
ICEUR´s
first master class starring reform economist and opposition leader Grigoriy Yavlinskiy was held on 26th
March, 2010,
at the International Press Club Concordia in Vienna. It was attended by a select audience including diplomats,
journalists, members of the scientific community and students. At the beginning of the session which held the
participants in suspense for almost three hours, Yavlinski analyzed the current situation in Russia and identified
six preconditions for reform which, in his mind, could lead Russia out of the present impasse. A successful economic
reform, he argued, was impossible without the realization of property rights, a functioning local administration,
an independent justice and a new relationship between citizens and authorities.
The ensuing discussion addressed issues such as the upcoming presidential elections, the outlook for the
Russian economy, judicial reform and the chances for a unified opposition. Yavlinskiy restated his determination
not to cooperate with the so-called “right opposition” since, according to him, they had pursued the wrong strategies
and allied with the wrong people in the past.
Yavlinskiy, who reiterated his conviction that Russia must seek a new rapprochement with Europe,
suggested that a contingent long-term strategy should be elaborated and in place as a blueprint for a new EU-Russian
relationship.
The Agenda Workshop ICEUR
Insight Studies Kick-off Seminar took place from 20th to 21th March
2010 at the Deanery of the Faculty of Law (the “Juridicum”) at Vienna
University as well as at the office of ICEUR-Vienna. Aim of the Kick-off
Seminar was to arrange the new publication series of ICEUR-Vienna, called
“ICEUR Insight Studies - The ICEUR Dialogue:
Studies in Euro-Russian Conceptual History“.
The participants were the following: • Dr. Ludmilla Lobova – Scientific Director ICEUR-Vienna • Univ.-Prof. DDr. Christian Stadler – Department of Legal Philosophy, Law of Religion and Culture, Faculty of Law at Vienna University • Prof. Vladimir Kantor - Department of the History of Philosophy, Faculty of Philosophy, State University – Higher School of Economics (SU-HSE), Moscow
• Prof. Alexander Logunov - Dean of History, Political Science and Law Department, Russian State University for the Humanities (RGGU), Moscow • Dr. Irina Chechel - Head of the Education Program, Foundation for Effective Politics (FEP), Moscow; Instructor at the Russian State University for the Humanities (RGGU), Moscow • Mag. jur. Alexander Dubowy – Fellow, ICEUR-Vienna • Katharina Beranek – Fellow, ICEUR-Vienna
In the course of the Kick-off Seminar the first volume of the ICEUR Insight Studies - The ICEUR Dialogue: Studies in Euro-Russian Conceptual History: “Russian Democracy in Crisis. Nature and Value of the “Managed Democracy” was discussed.
The Vienna process
Vienna
Forum on EU-Russia Relations...
The Austrian
Institute for Advanced Studies and the Russian Academy
of Sciences organised a workshop in
Vienna on 16-17 February to launch the Vienna Dialogue – a meeting of experts from Russia and the EU to
seek ways of improving the EU-Russian relationship.
Former Austrian Foreign Minister, Ursula Plassnik, talked about the lack of trust between the EU and Russia. There were
too many misperceptions on both sides and hence the need to encourage people-to-people contacts. She believed that the
OSCE should play a more important role and that visa liberalisation should also be encouraged.
Erhard Busek (former Austrian Vice Chancellor) suggested the EU and Russia should intensify efforts to settle the Transdniestr
dispute, while Vladimir Baranovsky (Academy of Science) questioned whether a legal agreement was the best way forward for
EU-Russia relations. EU-Russia Centre’s Fraser Cameron said that ‘old thinking’ was holding back the relationship. There were
numerous shared interests between the EU and Russia (energy, security, environment, etc) and both sides needed to look for win-win
solutions.
The EU was ready to assist Russia with the modernisation agenda, but would Russia be ready, willing and able to make the necessary
internal changes that President Medvedev had identified separation of powers, rule of law, fighting corruption, strengthening
civil society? Other participants included Mark Entin, Director EU Institute in Moscow, Sergei Kortunov (HSE, Russian Academy of Science),
Tomas Gomart (IFRI, France), and Johannes Eigner (MFA, Austria). The Vienna Dialogue will shortly produce a statement on how to
move forward in EU-Russia relations. (EU-Russia Center Bulletin, 1 March 2010).
1. What is the Vienna Process?
VIP is an international civic initiative which draws on the professional knowledge of a pool of
Russian and European experts with different backgrounds and institutional affiliations, who share the objective of improving the
relations between Russia and the EU.
2. Objectives: • To produce policy recommendations on topical issues of EU-Russian relations • To initiate a permanent expert-based dialogue in support of official dialogues • To improve the relationship between Russia and the EU
3. Why the Vienna Process?
The VIP is a response to the stalemate in official relations. It is driven by the conviction that progress is possible and feasible by looking for new departures.
4. Mode of Operation: The VIP profits from the flexibility and independence of a civic initiative. Not all recommendations equally supported and prioritized.
Its output are scientific and knowledge-based documents, which are constantly refined and improved.
In a two-step process, “hot” issues are identified and smart solutions elaborated. In its first memorandum. The pool of experts focuses on 3 dimensions: politics,
economics, business. The recommendations add up to a set of proposals which may be controversial and not equally supported by all experts.
5. The VIP “niche”: Among the plethora of institutions dealing with EU-Russian relations, the Vienna process occupies a distinct position in that • Joint pool of experts • Flexible mode of operation • Permanent editing committee to elaborate drafts which will be discussed by all experts • Experts are recruited among diplomats, politicians, business persons and administrators. This provides the opportunity
6. Constituencies: • EU institutions, particularly the EC and the European Parliament • Governmental agencies in Russia, particularly the Presidential Adminstration and the Russian Government • EU Presidency • International and National Business forums and agencies
On the invitation
of “The First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Foundation”, two members of the International
Center for Advanced and Comparative EU-Russia/NIS Research (ICEUR, Austria), Univ.Prof. Dr Hans-Georg Heinrich and
Mag. jur. Alexander Dubowy, attended the international working group “Social Standards Approximation: EU experiences
for Kazakhstan" on Nov., 5th 2009 in Almaty, Kazakhstan. In this international working group, Univ.Prof. Dr Hans-Georg
Heinrich and Mag. jur. Alexander Dubowy, together with the heads of Polish and Slovak research institutions, were
representing the potential project partners from European Union.
On Nov., 6th 2009 Univ.Prof. Dr Hans-Georg Heinrich and Mag. jur. Alexander Dubowy attended the international conference “Civil
Society in the Republic of Kazakhstan: State and Prospects” in Almaty. They conference was attended by numerous international experts,
representatives of NGOs, mass media, International Organizations and diplomatic corps.
The aim of this international conference and working group was to discuss ways to establish European standards in Kazakhstan against
the backdrop of the Kazakh OSCE-presidency in 2010 and to develop a Kazakh-European project to implement the Program “Kazakhstan´s Road to Europe”.
The challenge of such a project is to spot those areas in European legislation and to study the relevant best practices which could
be applied in the Kazakh context. A memorandum of understanding was signed to this effect.
Industriellen Vereinigung Österreich
in Moscow from 24 to 27 may 2009
On the invitation
The International Center for Advanced and Comparative EU-Russia/NIS Research (ICEUR, Austria),
organized the first ICEUR journey of the “Höldrichsmühler Kreis” from the Federation of Austrian
Industries to Moscow. The 24 participating members spent four days of meeting numerous Russian
representatives of Economy, Industry and Policy in Moscow.
At their first day in Moscow the participants had dinner with the Austrian Trade Commissioner Mr. Dr. Dietmar Fellner.
The following day, they first met Mr. Evgenij Alexeewitsch Fjodorov, the Chairman of the Economic Policy and
Entrepreneurship Committee of the Russian State Duma. Second, they met the President of RSPP (Russian Federation
of Industries), Mr. Aleksandr Shokin. Afterwards, the members of the “Höldrichsmühler Kreis” had lunch with Mr. Ruslan Grinberg
of the Russian Academy of Sciences at the Institute of Economy. At the afternoon, they had a meeting with Mr. Sergey Nechaev,
Director of the 3rd European Department and Mr. Dimitri Lubinski, Deputy Director of the 3rd European Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Later on they got together with Mr. Pavel Gurin, CEO of Raiffeisen International Russia. On their third day in
Moscow, the Austrian members of the “Höldrichsmühler Kreis” had breakfast with Mr. Reiner Hartmann, Chairman of the
Association of European Businesses (AEB) Executive Board and with Mr. Frank Schauff, CEO of the Association of European Businesses (AEB).
Afterwards, they had a meeting with Mr. Walerij Gawrilowitsch Draganov, Vice-President of the Industry Committee of
the Russian State Duma. After their departure from the Russian State Duma the attendants went to the Russian Investment
Fund, where they got together with Mr. Alexander Lebedev.
The afternoon program was composed of the meeting with Mr. Dmitri Trenin, Director of the Carnegie Moscow Center and Mr.
Andrej Rjabov of the Carnegie Center Moscow as well as a visit of the Higher School of Economics, State University,
where they participants got to meet Mr. Sergey Karaganov, Head of the Department International Economics and International
Politics of the Higher School of Economics and Chairman of the Presidium of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy.
On their last day day in Moscow, the Austrian members of the “Höldrichsmühler Kreis” finally had a meeting with Mr.
Oleg Wiktorowitch Morozov, Vice-President of the Russian State Duma.
