| The Kaliningrad region awaits special economic status The economy of the Kaliningrad region has been living in limbo for several years now - there is still no new law on a special economic zone. In the westernmost Russian region, separated from its native country by the territories of foreign states, they really hope that this law, so important for the region, will finally be adopted during the current session of the State Duma.
The Kaliningrad region has always been considered the country's military outpost in the Baltic. The region's economy developed accordingly. With virtually zero gasification, perhaps the only industry that worked successfully was fishing. In the production and processing of fish, Kaliningrad could compete with many. Entire sea fishing dynasties even formed here.
But that time has passed. Now Kaliningrad is not a military outpost (although the Baltic Fleet is based here), and the local “yuppies” managed to privatize the fleet so cunningly that only a “tail-scale” remains of the region’s former fishing glory. Having lost the support of the military-industrial complex and the normal functioning of the fishing sector, the region has lost the basis of its economy. And in the mid-90s of the last century, local authorities faced a serious problem: if they do not make a qualitative leap forward by coming up with something “like that,” the region risks getting hooked on the federal budget needle and becoming completely impoverished. And “this” was invented. Or rather, they were made from what was there. For the Kaliningrad region, they came up with and adopted a law on a special economic zone in 1996 - there was no other such law in Russia at that time. Examples like Hong Kong seemed too fantastic and therefore not entirely convincing. They took something closer and more understandable as a basis - customs benefits.
The region has prepared that a rapid flow of investment is about to pour into the region. Alas, this did not happen. Only screwdrivers were able to remove the foam - that is, those who build their business on duty-free imported (thanks to the benefits of the SEZ law) spare parts, which are then assembled using a screwdriver into a finished product. Thus, in Kaliningrad, in particular, BMW cars and Hummer jeeps are produced.
However, there was still no significant leap in the development of the region. It became clear that the SEZ law did not help. The westernmost Russian region (with seemingly similar starting conditions) began to lose in many respects to its closest neighbors - Lithuania and Poland. Receiving substantial grants from the European Union, these countries were able to organize their internal affairs much better. They are ten years ahead in economic development, having managed to provide their residents with normal jobs, stable earnings and guarantee a decent pension in old age.
The Kaliningrad authorities could not hope for European grants. Over time, the West simply stopped trusting the region. The scandalous case with a multimillion-dollar loan from the German Dresdner Bank AG played a role here. In the late 90s, the region received $10 million. A number of officials spent this money “where it was necessary,” and when the time came to pay the bills, they refused to do so. And now the then governor Leonid Gorbenko is studying the materials of the criminal case brought against him, while the region itself is stuck in the courts. Including European ones - London arbitration ordered the region to repay the debt. True, along with interest and fines, it has already accumulated twice the original amount.
It took a lot of time for the Kaliningrad SEZ to finally become an area of increased attention for Moscow. For too long, the capital preferred to brush aside the problems of the region, without making allowances for its “exclusivity” and equating it with other Russian subjects. Yes, according to the Constitution, all regions in Russia are equal. But not by geography. Although they tried to turn a blind eye to this. At the beginning of 2001, a remarkable thing happened. The State Customs Committee of Russia issued an order that effectively repealed the law on the SEZ. The customs officers took a stand, rushed to carry out departmental instructions and... the regional economy instantly came to a standstill. Local officials grabbed their heads, and ordinary residents, taking banners, took to the streets. One of the largest protests in recent years took place in the center of Kaliningrad. In the end, they still managed to reach Moscow. The State Customs Committee canceled its order. And the Kremlin began to think about an integrated approach to solving the problems of the Kaliningrad SEZ.
There were many different meetings on this matter - both in the Security Council, and in the government, and in the presidential administration. The latter department eventually began to oversee the westernmost Russian region. Presidential aide Igor Shuvalov, former head of the Russian government apparatus, was appointed responsible for the Kaliningrad region. Leading politicians, officials, businessmen (27 people in total) under his leadership developed a kind of doctrine for the development of Russia until 2008. All ideas fit into five points, including “comprehensive development of the Kaliningrad region.” No other subject of the Russian Federation was mentioned in the doctrine. A little later, Mr. Shuvalov headed the group to develop a new law on the SEZ. Many local and federal experts were involved in this process. But when the final version of the document was ready, regional businessmen were speechless.
“We were cheated like boys,” one of its influential members, Anatoly Kirillov, shouted at a meeting of the regional Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs. “We need to offer our own option. Moscow will not take impotent people into account! - echoed the local banker and vice-speaker of the regional Duma Sergei Kozlov.
They made noise for a very long time. But they never came to a common opinion. Should there be only tax benefits or also customs ones, what to do with small and medium-sized businesses, why large entrepreneurs have all the advantages, what is the optimal price of an investment project to obtain the status of a SEZ participant - local experts argued until they were hoarse on these and many questions. The result was a kind of compilation of the interests of various business clans (mostly large ones and, notably, not from Kaliningrad). Moreover, this compilation is very similar to the song of the popular Kaliningrad playwright Evgeny Grishkovets: “What did you want? I wanted it to be good. And more often." This, in fact, is the essence of the new law on SEZ, which is now “maturing” in the State Duma. Few people have any idea what and how to do, but everyone knows for sure what should be good.
According to the new law, a legal entity that has submitted an investment project worth at least 150 million rubles can become a participant in the special economic zone. A legal entity must be formed in accordance with Russian legislation and registered in the Kaliningrad region. It must produce at least 70% of its products directly in the region, concentrate at least 90% of its own and leased funds there, 50% of its employees must be residents of the region, and all investments must be made in the region. For persons who previously received participant status, the current customs regime is maintained for a transition period of ten years. Goods falling under the special economic zone are imported into the Kaliningrad region without paying duties and without restrictions provided by law. The list of such goods and services will be approved additionally. Excise goods, goods prohibited for import into the territory of Russia, and also prohibited for placement under the customs regime of the SEZ are not subject to the customs regime.
The law also provides for a simplified regime for foreign citizens - investors - to enter the region. According to forecasts from the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, the new law will ensure an annual growth of gross regional product of 10-15% during 2005-2010.
“One of the main advantages of the new law is its changed preferential component. If in the previous law the main lure for investors was customs benefits, then in the new one we are talking about tax benefits - in particular, income and property taxes, Deputy Governor Sergei Ledenev, who oversees the economic bloc, told Vremya Novostei. “At the federal legislative level, it is emphasized and enshrined that the conditions for doing business in the “amber region” differ from those throughout Russia.”
Actually, as a manifestation of special attention to the region, the adoption of the law was expected several months ago - during the anniversary celebrations of the 750th anniversary of Kaliningrad. Then President Vladimir Putin came to the city. A number of local politicians immediately said: the president will not arrive empty-handed - on Kaliningrad soil, they say, he will sign the law on the SEZ. Nothing of the kind. The law still remains in the State Duma.
People in the Kaliningrad region are accustomed to believing that the SEZ law is the only true panacea for all local ills. If the old one did not help, then you need to accept a new one and then... They talk a lot and often about the future of the westernmost Russian region in the region itself. Moreover, the result of these conversations often turns out to be meager.
“I don’t want to offend anyone, but everyone who comes here, including businessmen, often doesn’t understand why everyone seems to come to an agreement, disagree, and then do the opposite, or do nothing. I call this the high Kaliningrad style,” Andrei Stepanov, deputy presidential envoy for the North-West, recently said. “When serious people come from Moscow, St. Petersburg, and other regions of Russia, sometimes it becomes awkward in front of them for this style.”
This is exactly what happened with the new version of the law on SEZ. They've been talking about it for four years now. And the document is passing through the government and now parliamentary sieve at a snail’s pace. It is possible that the reason is that many in Moscow do not see such an urgent need for the adoption of an openly paternalistic law in relation to one region. And in Kaliningrad itself there are enough people with a similar point of view. One of them is Nikolai Vlasenko, owner of the all-Russian Kvartal supermarket chain. He once started in Kaliningrad with wholesale trade in food products. Without relying on the “crutch” of the SEZ law, he managed to create such an effective, profitable and convenient business for ordinary consumers that he and his closest associates eventually became one of the richest people in Russia. That is why he can allow himself independent judgment on the issue of the appropriateness of the law on the SEZ. “The Kaliningrad market is protected by this law. But the market does not mobilize when it is so protected, it stagnates. As a result, a whole series of enterprises have appeared in the Kaliningrad region that, in fact, parasitize on one particular benefit of the law, says Mr. Vlasenko. - Well, take this benefit out, for example, from under the screwdrivers - what will happen to them? There is no comprehensive development, no clear strategy. So, there’s nothing to hope for.”
The businessman asks the question: why is there a need for a SEZ law at all, which has essentially become a feeding trough for several Potemkin screwdrivers? And the new law, in his opinion, will not improve the situation. “And all these scientific calculations about the potential increase in the gross regional product are complete nonsense for each specific family. People in the Kaliningrad region should live better from these innovations. Alas, in reality this is not the case. Because the law is adopted based on the principle “as long as it doesn’t get worse,” says Nikolai Vlasenko.
Foreign experts are also adding fuel to the fire. Thus, the director of the Vilnius Institute of Political Studies, Raimundas Lopata, has repeatedly stated that the new law on the SEZ threatens the entire Lithuanian business that has strengthened in Kaliningrad in recent years (and this is a significant part of the regional economy). In his opinion, only large investors will receive preferences. And small and medium-sized businesses - these are the forms in which Lithuanians work - will be forced to curtail their production. Vadim SMIRNOV, Kaliningrad |
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