THE RUSSIAN PACKAGING BRACH IS RECOGNIZED WORLD-WIDE

Igor SMIRENNIY, Editor-in-Chief of the "Tara i Upakovka" magazine, President of the "SOJUZUPAK" association The biggest international exhibition "lnterpack-99" in Dusseldorf (Germany) is notable for three important events which are of a great significance for local manufacturers of packaging products. For the first place, it is the awards ceremony of the prestigious international competition for the best package "World Star-98" (to some degree "Oskar" for packaging) held by the World Packaging Organization (WPO). A record number of packages 9 of 10 submitted by the association. "SOJUZUPAK" were awarded and the directors of Russian enterprises as well as other local specialists have paricipated in the official ceremony for the fourth time. After several attempts the association "SOJUZUPAK" (more exactly: its sector "Pakmash") was at last accepted for the International confederation of producers of packaging machines - COPAMA. This packaging machine-building as a successfully working branch of the Russian economy is recognized by the international community. It means that the Russian enterprises manufacturing the packaging equipment and belonging to the "Pakmash" sector have raised to a new stage in the market economy conditions. And finally, the biggest in Russian and Eastern Europe international exhibition "ROSUPAK" arranged by the association "SOJUZUPAK" and Expo Centre "Sokolniki" with information support of the magazine "Tara i upakovka" became a legal member of the International confederation of packaging exhibitions - COPE. This "ROSUPAK" has been recognized as a main packaging fair in Russia (according to the COPE charter, only one, the most important exhibition). Due to membership in COPE our exhibition belongs now to the biggest world packaging shows and will attract a greater number of exhibitors and visitors. From the "Tara i Upakovka" magazine, #3/99