Russia’s 2021 St. Petersburg Economic Forum to address new economic reality world faces after Covid-19

The issues of the Russian and global economy, as well as social and technological agendas, will be discussed at this year’s St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), which will take place on June 2–5.

According to the forum’s official website, the key topic will be “A collective reckoning of the new global economic reality.” More than a hundred events are planned to be held within the forum’s business program.

Business sessions will be broadcast on the forum’s platforms, so that participants from countries where travelling is limited due to the Covid-19 pandemic can have access to the discussions.

Traditional intercountry business dialogues will be held as part of the economic forum with representatives of the business communities of Italy, Germany, France, US, India, Africa, Finland, Japan, Latin America, and the Middle East, as well as the EAEU-ASEAN business dialogue.

The business program will include sessions on economic recovery and international cooperation, including discussions on Eurasian integration, transformation of global trade, effectiveness of business during the pandemic, the global energy market, recovery of the food market, and the sustainability of national healthcare systems.

“Last year brought to the fore the need to join efforts to address national and global challenges. The new economic reality means the economy of cooperation and partnership aimed at maintaining the goals of sustainable development. After a long break, SPIEF will become one of the first international business events held offline and, undoubtedly, a platform for building a dialogue that will help implement new partnership projects,” said Andrey Belousov, first deputy prime minister and chairman of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum Organizing Committee.

Russia’s national development goals are also among the topics to be discussed at the forum. Sessions will cover the transition from the anti-crisis agenda to strengthening the long-term potential of the country’s economy, the investment climate in Russian regions, shaping of the Russian research and technology space, development of the financial market, creation of circular economy, and the functioning of strategically important industries.

“This year the SPIEF program will be particularly eventful and relevant. The new economic reality is the agenda that includes all key issues of social and state development. Global challenges that we have faced during the pandemic establish new rules. There is a long period of recovery ahead of us; our actions and the effectiveness of planning and management will determine how quickly we can overcome the negative consequences of the pandemic and move to sustainable economic growth,” said the Russian president’s adviser and executive secretary of the SPIEF Organizing Committee, Anton Kobyakov.

“SPIEF will again bring together representatives of the Russian and international business community, government authorities and public organizations to search for opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation and partnership,” he added.

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