MOSCOW, November 28, 17:08 /ITAR-TASS/. Sixty percent of Germany’s companies working in Russia hope for an increase in profits in 2013 and 75 percent - in 2014, Michael Harms, Chairman of the German-Russian Chamber of Commerce, said on Thursday.
“Russia is world number one in hosting Germany’s companies on its territory,” he told a news conference within the framework of the Doors Open Day organised by Germany’s leading enterprises in Moscow. “We have good prospects on the Russian market and we continue to feel optimistic about the Russian market.”
“Political relations between Russia and Germany, Russia and the European Union exert no significant influence on the Russian-German business,” Harms said, adding that Russia’s protectionist measures created problems for the German business.
He admitted that “corruption is not the biggest problem for the operation of German companies, although it creates certain restrictions.” “Small and medium enterprises not much affected by corruption. In general, the situation in this sphere has improved.”
Harms said the lack of highly skilled personnel to work at German enterprises was one of the important problems. “Heads of German companies say they cannot find qualified workers,” he said. “Of course, now Russia reports a sufficient demand for engineers and there is a wish to learn engineering related professions.”
“But there is the lack of middle-level specialists. Researchers and teachers do not have command of advanced methods,” he said, emphasizing efficiency of Germany’s dual system of vocational training that combines theory and practice, knowledge and skills, learning in vocational schools and working at enterprises.
Representatives of the German business tried to encourage Russian enterprises to borrow Germany’s experience, Harms said.