I don't see any prospects yet.

I don't see any prospects yet.

I'll make a reservation right away: I'm one of those (I don't know how many of my colleagues from the EU countries have also gone down this path) who tried to study the issue of importing Russian TSB to the EU countries. Some developments attracted my attention, I negotiated with their manufacturers, tried to understand the system of Russian export of such goods. Bottom line: this area will not become part of my business for an indefinite period of time.

I'll try to explain why I made this decision.

There is no real demand for Russian-made technical security equipment in the EU countries. In fact, we can only talk about real demand when the products of a given manufacturing country are present in most or at least many installations. This cannot be said about Russian products yet. You can literally count on your fingers the number of Russian manufacturers of technical security equipment whose products have actually been sold to foreign countries. Moreover, what is especially important is that they are almost always competitive only in price.

You must agree that the ability to compete with similar products, which are abundantly present on the Western market, is the most important indicator for successful sales and installations. What can be said here? According to my observations, simple electrical products are quite competitive in price with products from other countries. Alas, this cannot be said when it comes to the quality of the equipment.

The next important point. When importing technical security equipment from Russia, there are real problems with warranty and post-warranty service. I mean, first of all, the supply of spare parts and consumables necessary for service and repair. Some of my colleagues who installed Russian products use the capabilities of local Russian partners. But not always, especially when it comes to deliveries of small batches, do the necessary spare parts arrive in the country legally. You understand that such a path is unacceptable for a civilized business.

What is holding back the development of Russian TSB exports?

Firstly, this is the lack of a unified strategy in Russia for bringing its producers (we are talking about small and medium-sized companies) to foreign markets.

Secondly, many Russian colleagues who are trying to enter foreign markets have virtually no culture of doing business taking into account local specifics.

Thirdly, by Western standards and approaches, Russia has huge problems in customs matters. It is regrettable to note that the actions declared by Russia in the West aimed at changing customs legislation have not yet yielded any practical results. This, in turn, has a negative impact on the credibility of all Russian business.

Fourthly, these are the problems of Russian companies with VAT refunds and the presence of all sorts of «gray» schemes.

Fifthly, it should be noted that the subjects of the Russian economy have a certain disdainful attitude towards the economic laws of the country importing the equipment.

And finally, there are significant differences in the processes of certification of goods.
For the reasons mentioned, I do not yet see any prospects for Russian customs unions to seriously enter Western markets.
In my opinion, the solution to this problem is directly related to the state policy of Russia. This issue can only be assessed when business is not dependent on the country's policy.
As is customary in most countries of Europe and the civilized world.