The Council of the Russian Federation discussed measures to support metallurgy with representatives of the industry

Participants of the meeting held in the Council of the Russian Federation, which was devoted to measures of state support for metallurgy and machine-building enterprises, made proposals to prevent a crisis in the industry.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, the Russian Export Center, as well as heads of industry enterprises and associations.

During the meeting they discussed the high key rate of the Bank of Russia, the need to expand transport and logistics corridors and normalize settlements with foreign counterparties. Such topics as protection of the domestic market, stimulation of demand for end products and support for exports, as well as development of new capacities and processing projects were also raised.

According to Irina Kazovskaya, Chairman of the Aluminum Association, achieving technological sovereignty is impossible without advanced development of high-tech sectors of the economy. "For this purpose, it is necessary to develop high-tech production inside the country in all aluminum-consuming industries," Kazovskaya added.

"The aluminum industry provides 1.5% of the country's GDP and includes enterprises of all redistribution. More than 100 thousand tons per year of new aluminum products appear on the market due to demand development projects, but against the background of growing imports of products it is important to ensure protection of the domestic market and build up export potential and work out steps to create a national "green" brand and its inclusion in the export support toolkit," Kazovskaya said.

She also recalled that within the framework of implementation of the Government's Plan to stimulate demand for aluminum industry products, the association consistently develops the use of aluminum as a high-tech energy-efficient material in various industrial sectors.

As additional support measures, the head of the association proposed to initiate the negotiation process for the conclusion of a preferential trade agreement between the EAEU and India, the agreement on the accelerated conclusion of which was reached between the leaders of the countries in July 2024. "A quick alternative could be the conclusion of a temporary agreement on a narrower commodity nomenclature, including aluminum and a number of goods from it, which will contribute to an increase in trade turnover and will have a positive impact on the GDP dynamics of both countries, as well as help achieve the goal of $100 billion in trade turnover between our countries by 2030," Kazovskaya said.

To ensure the sustainable development of capital construction facilities, transport and road infrastructure, the chairman of the Aluminum Association proposed to introduce requirements that take into account the full life cycle of facilities and the cost of their ownership into design specifications and make them mandatory. This will reduce the cost of operation and encourage the use of modern environmentally friendly materials and technologies, including aluminum.

The meeting participants agreed to send the full list of proposals to the Federation Council for further discussion. In the near future, meetings on critical industries are planned on the platform of the Federation Council Committee on Economic Policy. In particular, it is planned to consider measures of state support for the specialized machine building industry.