Andrey Kostin proposed reducing the number of forums in Russia

Kostin said in an interview with the Vesti information service on the sidelines of EEF-2026 that there are “a great many different” forums in Russia, and suggested that he would “trim the others a bit, reduce them somewhat”. At the same time, he called the Eastern Economic Forum itself “really useful” and said he would “leave it alone”.

According to the VTB head, invitations to forums come to him “every day”. That is how he explained why, in his view, the issue of their number deserves to be reduced.

In June, the question of the effectiveness of forums held at the expense of budgetary resources was raised by Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko. At a meeting with Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, she asked that the system of existing forums in the country be analyzed in order to save money and time.

Matviyenko said that among them are events that are “not up for discussion”, including the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum and the Eastern Economic Forum, and some can be held once every two or three years. According to her, preparing for and participating in forums distracts federal and regional officials from their current work.

Following the meeting, Mishustin instructed the Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of Finance to analyze the effectiveness of forums held with the involvement of federal budget funds. The agencies must submit proposals to the government on optimizing their conduct.

Sources

• Interfax