Russian regions learned about the achievements of Finland’s circular economy
Moscow, September 20. On 16–17 September 2019 representatives of the Russian regions visited Finland to learn about advanced technologies in such areas as waste processing, recycling, and renewable energy. The representative Russian delegation included 34 participants from 12 constituent regions of the Russian Federation, including Head of the Republic of Karelia Artur Parfenchikov, Head of the Republic of Komi Sergei Gaplikov, Prime Minister of the Republic of Mordovia Vladimir Sushkov, Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology of Tver Region Andrey Naumov, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Tatarstan Alexander Shadrikov, Deputy Minister of Housing and Utilities of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) Viktor Romanov, First Deputy Minister of Housing and Utilities of the Moscow Region Natalia Egorova, Acting Mayor of Vyshny Volochek (Tver Region) Natalia Roschina, First Deputy Mayor of Cherepovets (Vologda Region) Dmitry Lavrov, and Deputy Director of the Agency for Novgorod Region Development Viktor Bikov.
The visit agenda included a meeting with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia to Finland Pavel Kuznetsov, a business lunch with the Minister of Economic Affairs Ms Katri Kulmuni, and a technological seminar, which presented the investment potential of the Russian regions. The Russian participants learned about the Finnish technologies of waste management and circular economy. The delegation visited four unique enterprises: Fortum waste processing plant in Riihimäki, the demonstration centre of the state-of-the-art Automatic Solid Waste Collection System by MariMatic, the Viikinmäki wastewater treatment plant, the Lassila&Tikanoja waste management and recycling plant in Kerava. Besides the tours, the official visit programme included meetings and talks with representatives of Finnish companies.
The delegation participants took a close look at Finland's closed-loop economy and discussed the prospects for bilateral cooperation in the view of the Russian regions’ needs.
The event was organized by The Roscongress Foundation, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland, Business Finland, the Trade Mission of the Russian Federation in Finland and the Finnish–Russian Chamber of Commerce with the support of the Embassy of the Russian Federation, the Embassy of Finland in Moscow, and the East Office of Finnish Industries, Ministry of the Environment and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland.