VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
“We've dramatically changed the very procedure for considering investor applications. Many of the formalities have been simplified and excessive approval requirements have been removed. Thanks to the adoption of a whole number of amendments, foreign companies have now gained wider access to the food, medical and mining industries, as well as to the banking sector.”
“It’s imperative that we preclude the emergence of new barriers instead of the ones that we are about to remove. <…> In this regard, I suggest that a final, exhaustive list of construction-related administrative procedures should be adopted at the federal level.”
“I would like to emphasise that we need a modern information and communication environment for our administrative, including government, agencies and society, an effective system of interdepartmental communication that will rid us of excessive paperwork and red tape. I would like to ask the Ministry of Communications to prepare proposals on introducing common algorithms for computerisation of our ministries and departments within the next month and provide a performance evaluation system for each particular department within the next two months.”
“Construction investment projects in Russia remain one of the most complex problems in the world. The number and duration of Russian licensing procedures is unfortunately greater and longer than in other countries. According to the data of international organisations, a Russian license requires 53 procedures or 540 days, while an average OECD license requires 16 procedures or 166 days. The difference is clear.»
“I’d like to focus on one more issue on the agenda, which is an extended term of technical conditions for connecting to the utility facilities of new residential buildings. <…>It is necessary to maximally simplify the existing procedures and rules at every stage, from the registration of a land plot as a building site, approval of a project, to the connection of a new home to the utility facilities. I mean the whole range of issues connected with simplification and lifting of administrative barriers in construction.”
“By July 1, 2012, all of the government bodies in the regions and municipalities must adopt the electronic interaction system. I emphasise that July 1 is the deadline. We expect that some regions – where work is in progress and the proper information base is available and the channels work – will complete the work much sooner. We are considering allocating 670 million roubles from the federal budget annually to support such regions.”
“We have conducted an in-depth inspection of the state’s oversight and surveillance functions over the past two years and removed many administrative barriers in education, healthcare, agriculture, construction, and some others. <…>Last year we approved the concept for forming the single national accreditation system. They proposed establishing a shared body vested with the requisite authority in this area. Today we will look into regulations governing the work of such a body, namely the Federal Accreditation Service. It will be engaged in establishing rules for professional organisations regarding certification, test labs, and expert organisations.”
“I am asking you to render all possible assistance to your colleagues in the regions and above all to focus on the technical exchange of information with the federal and municipal authorities. The principal task is to ensure a maximally comfortable situation for the people who should know what they need from officials and what those officials can demand from them. Every procedure must be simple, understandable and, most importantly, completed on time”.
“On July 1, 2012, a system of electronic interdepartmental interaction should also connect the regions and municipalities. By that time, we must create – and we will create – a comprehensive system covering the entire country, which will then operate efficiently”.
“All federal authorities will adopt a new system of operation, which will entail the use of electronic communication for all interaction, on October 1. What’s the concept? When people come to a state agency – a federal one in this case – for a reference or some other document, officials will no longer send them to other agencies for additional information but will themselves have to request it and then issue the requested document”.
“We must eliminate any superfluous administrative obstacles. We have talked about this before. The endless registration procedures must be pruned down. The unsubstantiated requirements, burdensome duties and limited access to infrastructure hold back the initiative of entrepreneurs and may become an insurmountable obstacle for new companies – and, therefore, new goods and services – entering the market.”
“We will draft a new law assigning special status to complaints made against the government authorities or local government and will also introduce a special investigatory and decision-making procedure. <…>It is proposed to establish a special type of complaint against the authorities – an administrative complaint. The deadline for its consideration will be set at 10 days beginning from the date of its registration. Failure to comply with the deadline or the established procedure to consider such a complaint, or refusal to register an administrative complaint, will result in a fine of 10,000 to 30,000 roubles.”
“We propose the introduction of administrative liability for federal officials who violate the standards and procedures governing the provision of public services. Subsequently, this liability should apply to regional and local government officials as well. We will introduce personal liability for requesting documents or fees that are not set forth in the administrative regulations for the provision of services. This sanction will equally apply in the case of the unjustified refusal to accept documents or the untimely provision of public services.”
“Already today Russia largely operates and conforms its legislation with the norms and principles of the World Trade Organisation. This helps us eliminate unnecessary administrative barriers and creates a more attractive, competitive investment climate.”
“It is crucial to break the vicious circle where, in place of some eliminated barriers, other ones arise. Therefore, the Ministry of Economic Development must examine all the drafted legislation to assess the regulatory impact in the area of state monitoring and establish mandatory requirements for products, safety of production processes and conformity assessments.”
“The procedures for starting businesses and implementing investment projects have been simplified; the number of different inspections has been reduced; unlimited licenses as well as modern security systems and quality control systems (for goods and services) have been implemented; technical regulations and standards have been updated. We are steadily removing various administrative barriers. And it’s important that bureaucracy creates no new barriers. <…> We need an administrative culture alongside technological culture, we need to develop it, but this requires time and constant attention to these issues.”
“I’d like to emphasise the necessity of responding immediately to any cases of an overly bureaucratic, formal attitude to veterans. It is inadmissible to make them go in circles in search of documents for apartments, social payments, medical services and health resorts. <…> Workers of public and party agencies should not delay at all. They should be able to see these problems and act in advance. They should come to people who need support, and deal with urgent problems that affect the interests, rights and living standards of our people.”
“It is important to promptly find and eliminate the barriers that stand in the way of successful entry of our companies into foreign markets. Of course, all the factors must be taken into account, starting with dishonest competition and ending with the streamlining of our customs procedures and the export control system. That is very important, especially in high-tech.”
“In recent years we have been reviewing administrative barriers, control and supervisory functions, but we cannot tolerate the situation when we remove some barriers only to see various agencies or regional authorities promptly generate a dozen new ones. <…>We must seek to match the best world standards within the next few years, the standards that make the conduct of business comfortable beginning.”
“We continue to elaborate the foundations of a national contract system that will be oriented towards reliable, conscientious suppliers. This implies easy access for our companies to state-guaranteed purchases and the removal of various administrative barriers.”
“Many have criticised Russian bureaucrats, and I believe that this criticism is often justified. We must substantially improve the quality of public administration and orient the state apparatus to the interests of the people. Needless to say, we must counter corruption, increase the responsibility of officials, and eradicate the very conditions for illegal conduct and bribery.”
“The eternal problem of our healthcare system must be solved. Doctors and mid-level medical personnel should be relieved of the chore of filling out often meaningless paperwork, while truly necessary information should be converted to an electronic format, including case histories. The Ministry of Healthcare and Social Development must quickly finalise the procedure for delivering primary medical assistance and determine the duties of precinct doctors and nurses.”
“In the near future we must complete the system for providing state and municipal services electronically. I am talking about the unified portal of services, information and utility sites, integrated communication channels, departmental and regional data banks, so that citizens won’t have to carry documents from one office to another.”
“Bringing order to the so-called mass state services that are used by the citizens is extremely important. All procedures must be really accessible, streamlined and as transparent as possible to make people feel real improvements from the implementation of state services, let’s say, in electronic from, from the opening of full service centres operating in the “single window” format in each municipality, each urban district. People must be able to feel the general improvement of the quality of services.”
“It is not enough to amend the legislation or administrative regulations – we must change the mentality guiding the work of the state machine. It was obvious that the bureaucratic apparatus, numerous regulations and procedures need to be seriously revised. I'd like to emphasise that this major project is far from being over and, as I've already said, we are determined to continue it.”
"We must also continue simplifying administrative and customs procedures, in particular by introducing electronic accounting and declaration of goods".
“We understand clearly how important it is to develop entrepreneurship. This is why we consistently work to bring down administrative barriers and get rid of various unnecessary and imposed inspections.”
“Our goal is to let the farmers do their business without unnecessary barriers and obstacles and to spare them any unjustified or burdensome administrative, financial, and organisational costs. Everything is important in this respect. We should consider the specifics of agricultural production in agreements on the supply of electricity, heat, and water. We have already instructed the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Energy, and the Ministry of Regional Development to study these issues in more detail.”
“The regions are unforgivably slow to substantiate applications for relief, provide estimates, and repair the essential infrastructure. But the regional authorities are not the only problem. Colleagues, we too must work more quickly. The paperwork gets stuck in our agencies for weeks and even months. I call on the Emergencies Ministry and the relevant federal and regional agencies to take stock of the situation and create a plan and submit it to the government with conclusions and practical proposals on how to organise this work for ourselves so those in need of our help not to wait for us to overcome all those bureaucratic obstacles.”