Kaliningrad news

By the results of the first four months of 2010 container turnover at the port of Kaliningrad has grown 2.6 times and reached 48 599 TEU. According to SeaNews, in April 16,377 TEU passed through the dock of the port. This figure is 3.7 times higher than that in 2009. In comparison with March the growth rate is 23.9%.

Scartel (operating under Yota trademark) is preparing to enter the Kaliningrad market. According to IP-News with reference to its own source, the operator began construction of base stations in Kaliningrad. The company has already completed designing a number of stations, construction work began, and before the summer it is scheduled to start operation of the first ten stations.

The first phase of a five-star "Schloss Hotel" in Yantarny municipality of the Kaliningrad region will be completed in the second quarter of 2011. The corresponding investment agreement was signed on Friday, May 28, in Yantarny at the opening of the 4th Kaliningrad Economic Forum by the Head of Yantarny municipality, Alexander Blinov, and a representative of "Syr" company, Nikolay Vlasenko.

Forbes has published the new rating of the Russian cities best for business. According to the magazine, Kaliningrad is regaining positions lost during the crisis: in 2010 the city took the 12th place in the top 30, while in 2008 it was second, and in 2009 in the wake of the developing crisis it was left out of the list altogether.

On June 9 the IX Meeting of the Russia-Belarus Council on long-term cooperation of the Kaliningrad region of Russia with regions, ministries, and public authorities of the Republic of Belarus will be held in Hotel "Sambia" in Zelenogradsk, the Kaliningrad region.

Ministry of Industry of the regional government has filed an appeal to the 13th Court of Arbitration of St. Petersburg concerning the verdict of the Court of Arbitration of the Kaliningrad region. In February this year, Kaliningrad court considered the statement of claim of the regional Ministry of Industry to "Baltic cannery" to exclude the latter from the register of residents of the special economic zone in the Kaliningrad region. Back then the court found the arguments of the Ministry of Industry erroneous.

Avtotor (a Kaliningrad-based car assembling plant) will host a visiting session of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy and Entrepreneurship on May 27. The focus of the meeting is stated as "The Study of Kaliningrad's Avtotor in SEZ conditions: administrative obstacles".

Kaliningrad's two-tier bridge was normally drawn not more than 10 times in a year. This figure is expected to increase significantly.

Governor of the Kaliningrad region, Georgy Boos commented on this issue at a meeting on Saturday. Mr. Boos said that the bridge should be drawn on a daily basis at a certain time – a schedule must be developed and published. He said that this would allow the development of small shipping (boat, yachts) and would give impetus to the improvement of embankement.

Russia has offered Poland to take part in the construction of the Baltic nuclear power plant in the Kaliningrad region (BNPP). According to RIA Novosti, this was announced on Friday, May 21 by the Minister of Infrastructure of Poland Cezary Grabarczyk after the third meeting of the Russian-Polish Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation.

"The Russian side suggested Poland to take part in the construction of the Baltic nuclear power plant and then, sharing the power transmission capacity of the Polish side sell electricity in Europe", - said Grabarczyk.

On May 28 the municipality of Yantarny will welcome the participants and guests of the IVth Kaliningrad Economic Forum (KEF).

Kaliningrad Economic Forum has become a traditional event in the life of regional business community. KEF remains one of the most important activities that contribute to the development of small cities in the Kaliningrad region and intensification of business activity in the region.