In March 1991 the general meeting of sixty directors of enterprises took the decision to establish the Association of Directors of Enterprises and Research Organizations of the Murmansk region.

And in May of the same year the Association was officially registered. The Chairman of the Association and later the first president of the Union became the general director of the public corporation «Кolenergo» Vitaly Niсkolaevich Meshkov, and Valery Stanislavovich Budagovsky was elected its chief executive.

Since the first days of its existence the Association manifested itself not only as a protector of corporate interests of directors. It also manifested itself as a generator of ideas connected with the improvement of the financial and economic situation in the region, a generator of ideas directed at the rise of the living standard of the whole population of the Murmansk region in the long run.

In July 1993 the Association of directors of enterprises and research organizations of the Murmansk region entered the All-Russia public organization «Russian Union of Manufacturers and Entrepreneurs» and became the regional representation of the Union in the Murmansk region.

1995 the Association was reorganized. Its successor became the Union of manufacturers and entrepreneurs of the Murmansk region. In the year 1996 the general meeting elected Yury Alexeevich Evdokimov its president. He is the leader of the Union at the present moment, too. Since the same year Y.A. Evdokimov has been the Governor of the Murmansk region at the same time.

The supreme executive organ of the Union is the Council elected through open voting at the general meeting of the organization.

OBJECTIVES

As its main objectives, the Union of manufacturers and entrepreneurs considers 
- help to local governing bodies in the revival of the economic potential of the region;
- improvement of social status of the population and protection of interests of the members of the Union.

The Union realizes these goals through the representation of its members in the board of the regional and local administrations, in the Regional Duma and in local representation government bodies.

The Union of manufacturers and entrepreneurs (employers) of the Murmansk region is non-profit organization with a voluntary membership.

The Union is financed through membership dues and contributions of certain financial and commercial structures. The accuracy of expenditures from the financial means of the Union is checked by the Union’s Inspection Commission.

The current activity of the Union of manufacturers and entrepreneurs is carried out by the executive board.

SOCIAL PARTNERSHIP

The Union introduces the employers in the regional three-power commission on the regulation of social and labour relationship, which also includes the Government of the Murmansk region and the Regional Council of Trade Unions.

The employers are represented in the Commission by: (the list of representatives and a photo).

On the 30th of December 2005 the three-power agreement between the Union of Manufacturers and Entrepreneurs (Employers) of the Murmansk region, the Regional Council of Trade Unions and the Government of the Murmansk region was signed again, this time for the period of 2006 - 2008. In this agreement the sides agreed to main principles of the regulation of social and labour relationships at the regional level and to the common activity for their realization.

SMALL-SCALE AND MEDIUM-SCALE BUSINESS PROMOTION

In the Union of Manufacturers and Entrepreneurs of the Murmansk region there is a section of small-scale and medium-scale business. It helps the entrepreneurs to coordinate their actions and to influence the industrial policy in the region.
(Photo of a section meeting)

Through active participation of the Union of Manufacturers and Entrepreneurs, the Government of the Murmansk region worked out the regional goal program «Development of small-scale business in the Murmansk region for the years 2005-2008» that has been acting already.

The program determines actions of the Government, executive organs and institutions of local governing of the Murmansk region. It also determines the actions of entrepreneurs and of their funds, directed at the increase of the contribution of small-scale businesses to the economy of the Murmansk region and at the rise of social responsibility of business.

During fifteen years of its existence the Union of Manufacturers and Entrepreneurs of the Murmansk region has done large and important work in legislation. Under active participation of the Union there have been worked out and passed legislative acts on investment policy of the region.

The following laws are among the passed laws:

- the Law of the Murmansk region «About foreign investments in the Murmansk region»; 
- the Law «About areas of economic development (growth) of the Murmansk region»; 
- the Law «About the area of economic development (growth) «Murmansk Shipyard»; 
- the Law «About investment tax credit in the Murmansk region».

There have been prepared and conducted dozens of seminars for entrepreneurs on the most actual questions of economy and legislation.

DEVELOPMENT OF PARTNERSHIP TIES

A very important part of the activity of the Union of Manufacturers and Entrepreneurs of the Murmansk region is the activity connected with the organization of expositions. Exposition Centre of the Union of Manufacturers and Entrepreneurs (Employers) of the Murmansk region started its work in August 2001. Now it is reorganized into Murman-EXPO-Centre.

The aim of his exposition activity is:

- the promotion of industry growth and increase of commodity turnover on the market of the Murmansk region;
- public informing of the state of affairs of the manufacturers of our region;
- familiarization of the participants and visitors of the expositions (fairs) with scientific, technical, economic, cultural and social achievements of organizations and enterprises of the Kola Peninsula and other regions of the RF, as well as with the achievements of organizations and enterprises from Norway, Sweden and Finland.

Within expositions there are seminars and round tables between the participants where agreements on the cooperation are signed.

PROSPECTS

Nowadays the Union comprises over 130 enterprises and some individual members representing practically the whole spectrum of economics of the region. They represent mining and metallurgy, oil-and-gas industry, fishery, fish-processing industry, motor transport, construction, farming, enterprises of power engineering, communication and trade, as well as enterprises of human services, banks, insurance companies, research and public organizations.

Production output of the enterprises – the members of the Union is more than three fourths of the aggregate regional output in industrial and agricultural products.

The Union develops dynamically. The number of its members is constantly rising. They realize their responsibility for the future of the industry on the Kola Arctic, for the fortunes of the inhabitants of the peninsula and for the employees of their enterprises. The entrepreneurs understand that they can do their business successfully, that they can influence the economic strategy of the region and participate in the solution of social and economic goals of the country only on the condition that they are united.

In April 2006 the delegation of directors of the largest industrial, commercial and public organizations of the Kola Peninsula, members of the Union of Manufacturers and Entrepreneurs of the Murmansk region, represented the region and its interests at the XV congress of the Russian Union of Manufacturers and Entrepreneurs where Yury Alexeyevich Evdokimov was elected a member of the Board of the Russian Union of Manufacturers and Entrepreneurs again.

THE PUBLISHING HOUSE “HELION”

Unpublished articles