A. Your organization has a dedicated Government Relations Team in place

The listing here below is not exhaustive. It highlights the exposure of major companies by countries active in Russia that could suffer from a further deterioration of trade relations. Already sanctions are taking a toll on business.  

Austria

• Raiffeisen Bank has €18bn of loans to Russia and Ukraine
• Erste Group is warning that the turmoil could impact banks in eastern Europe.

Denmark

Russia is considering legislation to target global accounting and auditing firms because 'these are companies are viewed as apparently having sensitive positions in terms of Russia’s sovereignty and economic security’. Targeted companies would include the Boston Consulting Group, PricewaterhouseCoopers, KPMG, Mc Kinsey & Co, Deloitte and Ernst & Young.

Russia takes action:

1. Fruits and Vegetables

As the Brussels-based Association of Public Policy Advocates Accredited to the European Union (AALEP) is dedicated to helping (in particular)  foreign companies, organizations and governments that want to establish a more interactive and professional relationship with the EU institutions. Policy-making in the EU is characterized by a large number of veto players and actors within  and outside the EU who operate under a culture of consensus and compromise.

As of 01/08 2014, AALEP has entered into Protocols of Co-operation with like-minded organisations in Brazil, Croatia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Laos, Russian Federation, Czech Republic, India and others are currently being negotiated.

Current Protocols (Alphabetical Listing)

According to the UN, at least 3,695 homes have been completely destroyed while another 4,235 are damaged, but not beyond repair. Bombs have pounded 133 schools and 22 health centres, stadiums, playgrounds, mosques, roads, power and water supplies, sewage treatment plans, phone towers, communications centres, police stations and government buildings.

The Palestinian Housing Ministry estimates the costs of repairing homes far surpasses € 600 million. The total costs of reconstruction could be in the region of € 4 billion so far.

German companies are investing abroad like never before, making the country the world’s biggest foreign investor after the United States. German companies' direct investment abroad, average around €50 billion a year. Lack of sales growth in Germany and in Europe and in companies’ expectations for coming years, high production costs, especially high energy prices compared with the U.S. or emerging markets are factors encouraging German companies to invest abroad.

Europe’s future relationship with China one of its most important “strategic partners”  will be determined to a large extent by Germany’s rapidly evolving bilateral relationship with China. Germany is China’s number-one trade partner in the EU: nearly half of all EU exports to China come from Germany; nearly a quarter of EU imports from China go to Germany. The increase in trade between China and Germany during the last decade and, in particular, in German exports to China  has exceeded all expectations.

The scenes of desolation and destruction, whole streets reduced to piles of broken rubble, images of torn bodies, especially of young children and babies, demand immediate intervention of  the international community to end this slaughter.

Since July 8 when the current violence erupted 1736 Palestinians have been killed, 8900 have been injured. 70 % - 80% of the Palestinian casualties are civilians. Unicef reports 296 child death – 203 children under the age of 12.