Dec 22, 2005: 2005 Summary of Activities

December 22, 2005
Moscow

In 2005, AmCham enhanced its position as the leading foreign business advocacy organization in the Russian Federation, striving constantly to deliver a return on the annual membership fee investment. During the past year we: 

• successfully interceded on behalf of individual member companies with federal and regional authorities to remove serious barriers to normal business operations, restoring to the bottom line millions of revenue dollars.
• constructively engaged the authorities on issues critically important to international business, such as restrictions on foreign direct investment in strategic sectors, protection of intellectual property rights, import controls on cryptographic equipment, special economic zones, competition regulation, regional (Leningrad Oblast) profit tax rate investment incentive, tax audit practices and foreign work permit policies.
• worked closely with our NGO-Corporate Partnership Committee and lawyers and finance directors of NGOs to successfully advocate key amendments in December to the highly controversial NGO bill, thereby preserving the right of the vast majority of foreign NGOs to continue their operations in Russia as branch and representative offices rather than be required to re-register as Russian social organizations.
• worked with our Russian business partners to enhance the effectiveness of the U.S.-Russia Commercial Energy Dialogue as a major private sector platform to improve the investment environment and increase deal flow in this sector so crucial to the economies of both countries.
• organized more than 80 high-profile speaker events and roundtables featuring top government and business leaders.
• expanded the AmCham Russia CEO Forum to include Russian company chief executives.
• actively promoted a balanced perception of Russia as a business and investment destination, leveraging our Washington, D.C. presence, the annual “Door-Knock” visit of member company representatives to Washington, and briefing opportunities with investors, corporate executives and the press in Russia, the U.S., Europe and Asia.
• organized high-quality social and networking events: the Annual Awards Dinner, the U.S. Independence Day Celebration, the AmCham Golf Tournament, the AmCham Soccer Cup Competition, Business After Hours, AmCham Senior Executives Quarterly Breakfast Roundtables and the AmCham Holiday Party.
• reached total membership in Moscow and St. Petersburg of over 800 companies.
• managed our finances to assure no increase in membership fees in the coming year, despite increased demands on our resources.

In 2006, we are committed to meet and exceed our members’ expectations, to engage in effective business advocacy and to deliver business development opportunities for member companies.