10.06.2019
The analytical center "Expert" presented the third rating of investment appeal of Russian industrial parks and special economic zones. The rating appeared in the issue of the business magazine "Expert" published in conjunction with the St. Petersburg Economic Forum. The Special Economic Zone Lotus ranks 9th and is included in the AA class of industrial parks, which are the most attractive for investors.
101 operating sites were included in the rating: special economic zones and industrial parks from 41 federal subjects of Russia. The purpose of the rating is to assess the level of attractiveness and accessibility of the sites, providing the investor with an initial benchmark to choose the location of production. The evaluation parameters take into account a number of indicators, which are divided into different categories: "Service and Management”, “Location”, “Resource Costs”, “Tax and Customs Benefits”, “Work with Residents”, and “Regional Indicators”. Astrakhan SEZ got the highest score for "Location", "Work with residents" and "Tax and customs privileges".
Currently, the residents of the SEZ Lotus are 11 companies, which invested more than 26 billion rubles. The technical and road infrastructure of the SEZ is being developed, 27 facilities have been built and put into operation. The SEZ Lotus is one of the most attractive in terms of tax conditions and it operates as a free customs zone.
However, one of the main advantages of the Astrakhan SEZ is its favourable geographical location. The Astrakhan region is situated at the intersection of two transport directions: the "North-South" transport corridor and the northern part of the Great Silk Road. There are 8 countries within a radius of 1000 km, and considering the plans for the development of the North-South International Transport Corridor (ITC) and for the creation of a port SEZ in the Astrakhan region, the shortest route from Europe to India, South-East Asia and the Middle East will open up here.
