BRICS Business Council to focus on digital economy, measures to remove administrative barriers - Russia’s Chamber of Commerce

SHANGHAI, March 27. /TASS/. The BRICS Business Council will focus on developing measures to promote digital economy and remove excessively complex administrative barriers during the chairmanship of South Africa, President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Sergey Katyrin, who heads the Russian part of the BRICS Business Council, told TASS on the sidelines of the meeting in Shanghai on Tuesday. The formation of a working group on digital economy was announced at Tuesday’s meeting. "I expect the first meeting already in South Africa. This message is in line with today’s agenda and interesting for all. The formation of digital economy is a global trend," explained. There are many issues inside this area - information and financial security, data reporting, creation of infrastructure for digital economy, training of staff with relevant skills. "I think we reached a common understanding regarding this today," the official said. According to Katyrin, the working group on regional aviation set up at the latest meeting of the Council prior to the BRICS summit in 2017, is expected to present results. Serious efforts will also be assumed by the working group on deregulation, which is involved in developing solutions to remove administrative barriers, he added. The BRICS Business Council, the key mechanism for promotion of business cooperation between member-states, was established during the 5th BRICS Summit held in March 2013 in Durban, South Africa. In includes five representatives from each country. Its task is to identify problems and bottlenecks to ensure greater economic, trade and investment ties amongst the BRICS countries and recommend solutions accordingly. Seven working groups in the areas of Infrastructure, Manufacturing, Financial Services, Energy & Green Economy, Skills Development, Agribusiness and Deregulation operate under the aegis of the BRICS Business Council. Read more