Among those taking part in the meeting were President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Alexander Shokhin, Managing Director of gas projects for TNK-BP Management Viktor Vekselberg, President of VTB Bank Andrei Kostin, head of Severstal Group Alexei Mordashov, Chairman of the Board of RAO Russian Unified Energy Systems Anatoly Chubais, President of Carlsberg Nils Andersen, and President of the Portuguese Industrial Association Jorje Roja de Matos.
Russian officials taking part in the meeting included Industry and Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko, Economic Development and Trade Minister Elvira Nabiullina and Presidential Aide Sergei Yastrzhembsky. Portuguese officials taking part in the meeting included Prime Minister Jose Socrates, Foreign Minister Luis Amado and State Secretary for European Affairs Manuel Lobo Antunes.
The meeting’s participants raised various issues of fundamental importance for economic cooperation. In particular, Russian and EU businesspeople called on the Russian and EU authorities to resolve the issue of Russia’s accession to the World Trade Organisation and begin work on a new basic agreement.
President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso also took part in the discussions.