On 27 September an international conference “PPP in Germany and Belarus: comparative analysis and recommendations” was held at the President Hotel in Minsk.

The conference was co-organised by the German-Belarusian Economic Club, the law firm Arzinger & Partners and the National Agency for Investment and Privatisation (NAIP). The German Embassy in Minsk took over the patronage of the event. The conference was supported by many renowned partners, including: Delegation of the European Union in Belarus, as the General Partner of the conference – Representative Office of German Economy in Belarus, as the information partner – publishing house OWC-Verlag, as the partner – SCHNEIDER GROUP.

The conference had several objectives. Above all, it was to once again draw the attention of a wide interested public to the topic of PPP, which is important for the development of the Belarusian economy in general and for the intensification of German-Belarusian relations. The conference was supposed to be another opportunity to exchange experiences and views – both with German experts for the analysis of German PPP best practice models, and between representatives of government agencies and private businesses, i.e. potential investors in Belarus. This analysis and exchange should have promoted the development of synergy effects, the emergence of interest in the topic and the finding of new points of application for economic cooperation. Last but not least, the conference was to produce a newsletter with proposals for optimising the framework conditions for the development of PPPs in Belarus.

For this purpose, well-known German and Belarusian experts, who have extensive experience in researching the topic and developing the legal foundations as well as in developing and implementing concrete PPP projects, were invited. A detailed discussion of the specific aspects of PPP took place in three podium discussions. The conference programme is available here.

In accordance with its task, the conference was intended for experts from politics and economy of both countries – representatives of Belarusian and German administrations, ministries and authorities, German and Belarusian companies, analytical centres and scientists from both countries who work in the field of research and, of course, members of the public in Belarus.

More than 150 participants testify to the good attendance of the conference, which earned positive feedback from speakers and visitors alike. The success of this event supports us as DBWC in our ambition to further intensify cooperation between our countries by developing and initiating contacts.

The weather was not very nice this summer, but the Club still managed to take advantage of one of the last warm and dry days in September to organise an excursion to a horse farm in Butsevichi. More than 20 people, members of the Club, with their relatives and friends gathered for the trip, and on Saturday, 16 September, we all travelled together to Butsevichi.

The horse farm, which has various accompanying attractions in addition to the stables, is located about 30 km to the north of Minsk, so the whole trip there takes less than an hour. Immediately upon arrival, we were met by a cowboy on horseback and taken to the open riding arena, where all participants – under the guidance of trainers, of course – were able to try themselves as riders. The farm staff took professional care of the little and big riders, so that everyone could enjoy the basic elements of horseback riding: boarding, riding at a walking pace and even a light trot. Their own exercises on the horse were definitely the highlight of the day, but not the only reason for their high spirits. The approximately four-hour programme of our stay at the stud farm also included air rifle and archery, horseshoe throwing, musical and dance performances, and of course a visit to the stables. While we were getting acquainted with the four-legged inhabitants of the stables up close, the owner and trainer Alexander shared with us various informative and entertaining facts about the life of horses and the lives of his pets. At the end of the informative and emotional tour visitors had the opportunity to feed the animals with brought carrots and crumbs, which contributed to a positive mood not only among our young visitors. The hosts also took care about daily bread: we were offered a grill and homemade herbal tea, so we were able to go home after being refreshed.

The trip to the countryside was very enjoyable and brought a lot of good impressions and emotional relaxation. As it was a great pleasure for everyone, the Club will continue to offer such excursions in the future, as we have the opportunity to do so.