Petrozavodsk hosted the RBC Round Table "Points of growth of the economy of Karelia"

On May 20, Petrozavodsk hosted the first in the republic round table for business and government officials “Points of growth of the economy of Karelia in the new conditions: opportunities for investors and partners”. The event, which was held in the format of a business brunch, was organized by RBC Petersburg and RBC Karelia.

The event was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Legislative Assembly of the Republic of Karelia, the Development Corporation of the Republic of Karelia, the Center for Import Substitution and Localization, the Department of Labor and Employment of the Republic, the Venture Capital Investment Fund of the Republic of Kazakhstan, key Russian industrial enterprises - Petrozavodskmash Foundry LLC (state corporation " Rosatom") and Karelsky Okatysh JSC (Severstal PJSC), construction companies - Okhta Group and Barents Group, leading players in the telecommunications and communications market - Russian Post, Tele 2, Rostelecom, representatives of the processing industry, tourism and hotel business.

The main growth points of the republic were the industries of mechanical engineering, stone mining and processing, tourism, as well as the opportunities that opened up the creation of territories with preferential treatment - technology parks, special economic zones. According to the Minister of Economic Development of Karelia Oleg Ermolaev, today in the Arctic zone of the region, which is 38% of the territory of the republic, residents are already implementing about 50 projects in the field of tourism, industry and other areas.

“Last year, the volume of investments was already more than 70 billion rubles, an increase of more than 20%. This year, in the first quarter, the growth is already more than 40%. In measures of state support, we have moved further than other regions. For example, we provide financial support to businesses already at the investment stage, when there is no facility yet, the plant is not yet operating. And this is the most costly stage for an investor,” the minister explained.

One of the main problems voiced by the participants of the Round table, and which investors face in the implementation of projects, is the lack of labor resources. In Petrozavodsk, the creation of the Petrozavodsk agglomeration is called upon to help solve it, among other things. The new structure will cover about 350,000 residents of the region's capital and surrounding areas.

During the event, representatives of the business community also shared their views on the current situation in various sectors of the region's economy, plans for the implementation of already launched and future investment projects.