On March 19 the RF Ministry of Industry and Energy (former Ministry of Industry and Science) hosted the extended meeting of the Russian Chemical Engineers Association Board and All-Russian Industry forum of chemical companies and organizations executives. The event was arranged by the RF Ministry of Industry and Energy, Russian Chemical Engineers Association, and Russian Chemical Trade Union.

The meeting was dedicated to discussing the "Chemical and Petrochemical Industry Development Concept until 2010". Mr. Sergei Ivanov, Chemical Industry Department Chief, delivered a report about the chemical and petrochemical complex operations results in 2003. Mr. Andrei Svinarenko, the first Deputy Minister of Industry and Science, talked about the basic ideas of the concept.

Mr. Svinarenko cited high wear rate of the Russian plants equipment, lack of investment funds, growing prices for natural monopolies products and insufficient hydrocarbon supply for the industry as the main factors hindering the steady operations of the Russian chemical sector.

The representatives of companies and organizations who made their reports at the meeting put forward the suggestions they believed had to be incorporated into the concept.

These suggestions included: more profound elaboration of the issues related to the investments schemes aimed at the industry companies development, to HR policy, to using the industry scientific potential and to its social problems.

The participants approved the concept in general, Mr. Виктор Иванов, Russian Chemical Engineers Association Chairman, summed up the event and said that all the suggestions will be taken into account and the company still had an opportunity to offer their suggestions through submitting them to the RF Ministry of Industry and Energy or to the Russian Chemical Engineers Association. We should remind that the "Chemical and Petrochemical Industry Development Concept until 2010" has to be submitted for the government approval in May 2004.