Khazova E.V.,

Executive Secretary of Expert Council on Economic Development and Investments,

Staff of Plenipotentiary representative of RF President

in North-West Federal Okrug (Saint-Petersburg)

 

The collaboration with Northwest Russia, with its capacity of an entire economic and geographic region (North-West Federal Okrug) has not been anticipated within the framework of the Northern Dimension and as a result its effectiveness is diminishing.

We consider that the collaboration in the framework of the Northern Dimension should be created by collaboration with no certain regions, but with regions, united by the common interests and the unified goal – for providing the system-defined approach to the projects. The partnership between EU and Russia should become the main basis of the Northern Dimension Program, whereas the Northern Dimension Program has been appearing to the Northwest Russia as none projects’ complex, but an additional instrument of conception of the Northwest Russia development.

In the framework of the Northern Dimension it would be appropriated to unify all financial abilities of different current programs (TACIS, Interreg, PHARE, VASAB) and the Russian funds of federal and regional budgets. In this case, an effective work in the field of ecology would be possible.

The main thing is that a system approach is extremely required for settling the Northern Dimension and Northwest Russia’ questions.