Prime Minister Vladimir Putin chaired a meeting on the long-term budget strategy for the period until 2023
Vladimir Putin's opening remarks:
Good afternoon,
Today we are going to discuss the long-term budget strategy. In fact, this is the first time in modern history that a 15-year-long financial plan has been developed, even though it is in a rough form so far. Some work on this plan is still in progress. It is not completed, but still it's an important event in the economic life of this country.
The budget strategy should be based on the policy of Russia's long-term development until 2020, and in fact this strategy is a part of this policy - its financial frame, basis, and foundation. Moreover, the financial strategy itself - I mean the long-term financial strategy - is estimated even for the longer term, until 2023.
It will contain the estimates of real possibilities for the large-scale budget realisation, to increase expenditures on priority projects. First of all, these projects include education, public healthcare, infrastructure development and - I would like to stress this - the pension system in order for it to work steadily and effectively.
I will stress that keeping to the budget is still a priority not only for the near future, but also in a more long-term outlook.
Approving a long-term budget strategy will allow us to determine clearer strategies for implementing budget projects for given years and to secure the continuity of the budget priorities. It's also very important that the long-term estimates based on the analysis of the real situation in this country and in the world economy will make it easier for us to reject unfounded suggestions to increase certain budget programmes to the detriment of macroeconomic stability.
I would like to stress once again that this is our main priority. In spite of the problems we had a short time ago, we have to keep to all the parameters planned earlier. I would like to draw your attention to this fact.
Let us start working.
