The Federation Council has developed requirements for car companies that decide to return to the Russian Federation

The Federation Council Committee on Economic Policy has developed a list of conditions for Western automobile companies that have left Russia upon their return. The head of the Federation Council Committee on Economic Policy, Andrei Kutepov, sent a document addressed to First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov. href="https://www.vedomosti.ru/economics/articles/2025/02/28/1095076-senatori-predlozhili-usloviya-dlya-vozvrascheniya-zapadnih-avtokontsernov " target="_blank">Vedomosti February 28.

The letter lists a number of obligations that car companies will have to fulfill if they want to enter the Russian market again. Most of the senators' proposals are devoted to creating guarantees that production in the country will remain in case foreign brands decide to leave the country again.

One such measure is that car companies are required to work only within the framework of a joint venture with domestic automakers, provided that the Russian side retains control over it (in the context of both ownership and management).

The senators propose to provide such joint ventures with ownership rights to the results of intellectual activity (RID), design documentation and any developments. In addition, foreign companies are planning to oblige them to work "within the framework of general rules, high localization requirements without any preferential treatment and exceptions." These obligations are proposed to be fixed in special investment contracts of foreign automakers, the letter says.

Finally, one more condition concerns the country where the carmaker has its residence. If a certain company decides to operate in the Russian market again, any sanctions against Russia from this state should be lifted, the note says.

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The day before, the head of AVTOVAZ, Maxim Sokolov, said that the domestic manufacturer can develop effectively on its own and ensure the technological sovereignty of the industry, therefore, it is not waiting for Renault, which was previously a shareholder, to return. Last week, Renault CEO Luca de Meo said that the company does not exclude a return to Russia. He said that buying out a controlling stake in AvtoVAZ is not a priority, but the brand's management is open to discussing business opportunities.

On February 21, Stanislav Naumov, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy, said that automobile companies that have left the Russian market and decide to return should be subject to a special tax.