A number of infrastructure projects are be implemented in the country as part of its ‘Pure Water’ programme, which will run until 2020, and cost several billion Euros, financed partly by the public sector and partly though public-private partnerships.
The Russia Forum at Wasser Berlin was organised jointly by Messe Berlin GmbH, the German Water Partnership and the Eastern Committee of German Industry. The main emphasis of the forum was on how to use the latest technology in order to achieve the desired objectives. In the first part of the forum, Russian politicians and business figures provided a review of the current situation, explaining the legal situation and the problems involved in finding qualified experts and the necessary finance. During the second part, details of German-Russian projects were presented by Russian and German experts, who also previewed the possibilities for future joint ventures. The speakers included Svetlana Orlova, deputy chair of the Federative Council of the Russian Federation, Anatoly Popov, deputy minister for regional development of the Russian Federation, and Dr. Michael Beckereit, chairman of the board of the German Water Partnership.
”The Russia Forum […] not only looks at the measures which are being implemented but also at actual contracts and the investment budgets. Close links and many years of collaboration between the relevant authorities and agencies in Germany and Eastern Europe have been invaluable and have played a decisive part in ensuring the success of this event,” said Cornelia Wolff von der Sahl, project manager for Wasser Berlin International.