OREANDA-NEWS   Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev called the main risks for the world economy a high level of uncertainty, the scale of digital transformation and the growth of protectionism.

Speaking at the plenary session of the X Gaidar forum, he recalled that at the first Gaidar forum the main topic was the problem of global challenges facing the economy. According to this, "these challenges now remain in full growth in front of US."

"The past decade has brought many challenges, some of them were quite predictable, many of them were unexpected, and now they are faced by both developed and developing economies," Medvedev said. "This is a high level of uncertainty that affects almost all aspects of public life, the speed and scale of digital transformation, which carries both huge opportunities and associated risks, including the need for constant modernization of infrastructure, and it is very expensive."

Among other challenges, the Prime Minister called the intensification of competition and the growth of protectionism, the change of traditional markets, including energy, as well as the emergence of new ones. "First of all, we are talking about the structure of the energy market, increasing the share of more efficient, environmentally friendly energy sources, the intensification of competition, the growth of protectionism. This line can be continued, " Medvedev said.

He added that environmental problems are also important, inequality is increasing in the social sphere, " which provokes mass discontent even in very prosperous countries, and which, in all likelihood, can grow, including because of new problems in the field of employment."

"The inequity in the distribution of benefits from the development of the global economy and the expansion of international trade, the imbalance between the growing weight of developing countries and their participation in the definition of international trade rules. This is said for a long time, but, as they say, who and now there, these rules remain the same, and this disproportion is more and more relief," - concluded the head of the Russian government.

Medvedev added that the policy of aggressive pressure from a number of countries, including illegal sanctions and the arrest of managers of large foreign companies, increases uncertainty in the global economy.