Russia 101202 Basic Political Developments

National Economic Trends

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  Are Russia’s sovereign ratings holding corporates back?
  
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  Three pills to fight inflation and limits to RUB support
  

Business, Energy or Environmental regulations or discussions

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  Russian markets -- Factors to Watch on Dec 2
  
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  Gazprom, Rosneft, VimpelCom, VTB Group: Russian Equity Preview
  
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  Jan-Sept gold production down 3.2% in Russia
  
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  Golden moment: Russian gold miners set to benefit
  
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  Former Luzhkov press secretary Tsoi becomes new RusHydro exec
  
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  Chelyabinsk Tube posts 3 bln rbl half-year net profit
  
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  Russian govt. bans foreigners from working as salespeople at retail outlets
  
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  Visas for Skilled Workers Simplified
  
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  Uralkali, Polymetal Investor to Pay $1 Billion for Railcar Plant
  
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  UPDATE 1-VTB swings to Q3 profit, beats forecasts
  
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  Russia's VTB 9-mth IFRS net profit 38.8 bln rbls after loss
  
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  German Private Bank Launches New Russian Fund
  
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  Investors hope to build Europe's largest studio in St. Petersburg
  
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  AvtoVAZ said Wednesday that domestic sales rose 45.3 percent in the first 11 months from the same period last year to 467,550 vehicles as the government’s cash-for-clunkers program boosted demand.
  (Bloomberg)
  
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  The government plans to sell 7 percent of Sberbank next year, part on the open market and part to a strategic investor, chief executive German Gref said Wednesday.
  (Bloomberg)
  
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  Norilsk Nickel said Wednesday that its Tati Nickel unit got two exploration licenses in Botswana.
  (Bloomberg)
  
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  The inflation rate may be 8.4 percent this year, Economic Development Minister Elvira Nabiullina said Wednesday.
  (Bloomberg)
  
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  Russia won’t add the Australian dollar to its international reserves before mid-2011, Central Bank First Deputy Chairman Alexei Ulyukayev said Wednesday.
  (Bloomberg)
  

Activity in the Oil and Gas sector (including regulatory)

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  Russia's Nov oil output edges down to 10.25 mln bpd
  
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  Moscow Sweetens The Pot In Bid To Woo Foreign Investment For Upstream Arctic Activity
  
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  Rosneft Sells January East Siberian Crude to JX-Nippon, Conoco
  
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  Surgutneftegaz Sells East Siberian Crude Oil Cargoes to Itochu
  
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  Med Crude-Urals digests Shell tender win, freight jump
  
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  Russian oil flows to Central Europe 'to dry up' - Russia's growing oil exports to Asia and the Baltic have unsettled European traders and refiners, who fear shortages on the Black Sea and in Central Europe should Russian output stall or decline.
  

Gazprom

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  Gazprom May Be Interested in Poland’s Anwil, Ciech, Prawna Says
  
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  Gazprom creates two joint ventures with Ukraine
  
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  Gazprom, Namcor to Acquire Part of Tullow’s Gas Field in Namibia
  
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  Gazprom to start first offshore well on Libya’s shelf in 2011
  
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  Eon offloads its 3.5% stake in Gazprom
  
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  Burning need for gas production - As the days get shorter, the technicians at Urengoy Gazprom – the largest chunk of Gazprom’s vast gas production empire – know that with winter looming, they must work hard to meet increased demand… That is getting harder and harder to do, says Rustam Ismagilov, chief of the technical department of Gazprom Extraction Urengoy (Gazprom Dobycha Urengoy), the affiliate that manages the fields. He says many large gas field compressors need to be replaced.
  

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Full Text Articles

Basic Political Developments

RUSSIA-EU RELATIONS

Russia hopes EU talks will provide support for WTO bid

http://www.europeanvoice.com/article/imported/russia-hopes-eu-talks-will-provide-support-for-wto-bid/69590.aspx
By Toby Vogel

02.12.2010 / 05:17 CET

Tariff agreement paves way for trade support but there are differences over foreign policy and lifting of visas.

Russia's bid to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) will be given a boost during a summit with the EU next week. 

Last week (24 November), Russia advanced its WTO bid by agreeing to phase out export tariffs on timber and other raw materials. The move has made it possible for the EU to support Russia's WTO application, and the two sides are expected to finalise their accord at next week's summit.

Russia is the largest economic power that is not a member of the WTO, and hopes to join next year, according to Igor Shuvalov, first deputy prime minister in charge of trade.

The EU has long wanted Russia to join the trade body as it believes this would improve bilateral business links. But accession will require further Russian concessions on agricultural trade, technical regulations, and investment rules in the automotive sector.

Neighbourhood concerns

President Dmitry Medvedev will lead the Russian delegation at the summit in Brussels, alongside Sergei Lavrov, the foreign minister, and Elvira Nabiullina, the minister for trade and economic development. They will meet Herman Van Rompuy, president of the European Council, José Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, and other top officials.

But there are significant differences in agenda. The EU has offered Russia co-operation on crisis management and broader foreign policy issues but wants to see progress on ‘frozen conflicts' in Russia's neighbourhood, above all in Transdniester, a Russia-backed breakaway region of Moldova.

Russia wants a future partnership agreement with the EU to have a technocratic focus, while the EU wants a Russian commitment to reform governance and the judicial system.

Russia also wants the EU to lift visa requirements for Russian citizens. But while the EU is prepared to discuss technical aspects, an official warned that a visa-free regime was unlikely in the near future.

Vladimir Chizhov, Russia's ambassador to the EU, said that the technical requirements for lifting EU visa requirements could be met “in a matter of months”.

“The final countdown depends on political will, and there is no lack of political will on the Russian side,” he said.