Date
Author
Вера КУЗНЕЦОВА; Ярослав СКВОРЦОВ
Source
Preserved copy
Translated material
Club interest
Ex-oligarchs are again afraid of “falling alone”
Equidistant from the ex-oligarchs, the state may soon receive a serious business partner (and, perhaps, an equally serious opponent - it depends) in the person of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs. As Interfax reported yesterday, in early November the leadership of the RSPP may be strengthened by the heads of Alfa Group Mikhail Fridman, Interros Vladimir Potanin, RAO UES of Russia Anatoly Chubais, and Yukos Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Among other candidates, the agency mentioned the general director of the Russian Aluminum group Oleg Deripaska, the president of OMZ JSC Kakha Bendukidze, the chairman of the board of directors of Impexbank Oleg Kiselev, and the general director of Severstal JSC Alexey Mordashov. According to the Vremya Novostei newspaper, Interfax head Mikhail Komissar may also join them.If this plan is destined to be realized, then within the framework of one structure those who until recently were considered among the favorites of power will be gathered. Plus those who apply for this role today. When discussing the goals of such an association, observers are unanimous in their assessment: big business is looking for a new platform for dialogue with the authorities.
According to observers, the young but already very ambitious Russian business first encountered the need to conduct such a dialogue on behalf of a certain “professional club” in early 1995. Then the largest domestic banks - Inkom, ONEXIM, MENATEP, National Credit, etc. -- another conflict arose with the Bank of Russia regarding mandatory reserves. They say that it was then that some of the managers of these banks came up with the idea of creating a united lobbying structure.
Building one from scratch was considered an unforgivable luxury. After going through the trade unions and associations that already existed at that time, the authors of the idea settled on the ARB. At the same time, a letter appeared from the heads of the mentioned banks addressed to the President of the Association, Sergei Egorov.
The essence of the bankers' proposals boiled down to the following. Let the ARB continue to do its favorite thing - defending the interests of the bulk of its members (the majority of which, as in the banking system in general, were medium and small regional banks), and let a special body - the presidium - take care of the interests of "serious" business. The authors of the letter expected to be among its members.
The events that followed must be well known: the idea was formally implemented. In fact, the need to create a lobbying structure for large banking capital on the basis of the ARB soon disappeared by itself: by supporting Boris Yeltsin in the 1996 elections, the authors of the idea received the desired access to power directly, bypassing intermediaries.
Different times have come, and only memories remain of the former opportunities of the now ex-oligarchs. The idea of equidistance between power and big business, confirmed, in particular, at the recent meeting of large entrepreneurs with Vladimir Putin, seems to have been realized. It’s time for those who considered themselves oligarchs to once again unite in clubs of similar interests.
By the way, according to some information, the idea of uniting under the “roof” of an already existing corporate structure was again formulated precisely at the above-mentioned meeting in the Kremlin. Structurally, this idea is very reminiscent of the one from 1995. Only there was an ARB, and here - the RSPP. Then we were talking about the presidium of the Association (it seems, of twenty people), and now - about the executive committee or bureau of the Union (according to available information, it will have fourteen members). Which, of course, does not change the essence of the matter.
What will the “updated” RSPP do? As one of the likely new appointees told the Vremya Novostey newspaper, the strategic goal of the Union will be “to organize the internal life of business and the relations of business with the authorities and society in general.” The new RSPP is not a liberal political party, the source noted (there already is one - SPS). To some extent, the RSPP may become a structure parallel to the Government Entrepreneurship Council. Although it is unlikely, since unlike the Council, the initiative to create which came “from above,” the RSPP, which is being updated “from below,” will be something akin to a “club for defending corporate interests.” Here, representation is wider, and all participants in the “dialogue with the authorities” have equal rights, even neo-oligarchs.
As Oleg Deripaska told the Vremya Novostei newspaper, he views the RSPP as “an effective body representing the interests of the business community. Today, the economy is not personal connections, but first of all the result” (the last phrase of the head of Russian Aluminum can be considered as indirect confirmation of the thesis that it is time for the oligarchs to “join hands” again).
Some experts expressed, however, very skeptical assessments. Like, “if others will participate (in the activities of the new governing body of the RSPP), then we will too.” Which, however, can be seen as another parallel with the 1995 initiative: some of the authors of that letter addressed to Sergei Egorov also later withdrew their signatures...