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 have drawn up a highly important policy document called the Strategy for Developing the Far East and the Baikal Region Until 2025. In the long run, the strategy aims to create a sustained economy and comfortable living conditions here. <…> The strategy determines long-term transport, energy and other infrastructure requirements of Far Eastern regions, as well as the Irkutsk Region, the Republic of Buryatia, the Trans-Baikal Territory, and contains specific proposals for creating areas of ahead-of-schedule economic growth. This primarily implies major cities".
"Next year we will launch a federal programme for the Republic of Ingushetia. We are trying to solve the most pressing problems for this Russian region, which entails the construction of new hospitals, kindergartens, school, technical schools, a theatre and a sports complex, as well as providing cities and towns with the sufficient water supply and rebuilding the local infrastructure. Certainly, these are not tasks that cannot be solved in one year. Yet I am confident that we will achieve positive and considerable results together with the republic's administration. Step by step, we will create the conditions in Ingushetia for people to work and have a good life, bringing the region up to par with Russia's other regions. The total amount of funding for the program is 32.2 billion roubles, including 29 billion from the federal budget."
"I think that a specific programme for improving the quality of services must be implemented in each municipality. Methods for resolving this problem - from applying unified standards and administrative regulations to establishing centres with multiple functions that operate in the "single window" mode - have been identified more than once. Other proposed measures such as using advanced electronic technologies are promising, and this is what I would like to direct your attention to."
"The regions formerly complained there were no federal regulatory system or established programmes and methods for such reforms. Such complaints were justified, but we cannot accept them any longer, now that all the appropriate programmes have been worked out and tested in pilot projects as part of the national priority projects."
"Now is the time to be thrifty, improve the performance of agencies funded by the government, implement new ways of financing, and remove administrative obstacles. It is the time to learn to develop on the basis of domestic resources and potential, and to implement cutting-edge technologies. You can rely on federal support for all of this-provided regions fulfil their basic social obligations toward citizens."
"A majority of the Russian regions made significant progress last year-life expectancy and birth rates grew, while death rates decreased, especially among people of working age. A majority of regional leaders managed to deal with the unfortunate situation. Timely steps prevented snowballing unemployment, and regional employment services promptly concentrated on stabilising the labour market."
"I would like to remind you that a law affecting local government took effect on January 1. This law holds mayors personally responsible for providing quality services to people. <...> I believe that federal ministries must provide assistance to local governments on this issue, assume responsibility for coordinating our efforts and making them more methodical, and ensure close cooperation with education institutions that train personnel for municipal authorities. I would like to ask that we pay special attention to training local government employees in towns that rely on a single industry, where the effectiveness of municipal authorities' performance is especially critical, and where competent and well-educated people are needed to deal to apply fresh approaches to new challenges. We all understand that it is especially relevant today, during the crisis."
"Since 1998, the Programme for State Medical Care Guarantees has been renewed annually. In essence, this legislation specifies the parameters of medical care provided for free, regardless of the recipient's place of residence. This will be the first opportunity at a Government meeting to review the results of this Programme for 2008."
"The federal budget will continue to support the development of town infrastructure and improve its quality, including within the framework of the Affordable and Comfortable Housing national priority project. Today we need to arrive at a final decision on the distribution of subsidies to build new highways in the areas with large-scale construction of housing. In 2009, a total of three billion roubles from the federal budget will be allocated to the 18 constituent entities of the Russian Federation that are actively participating in the Housing national project."
"We must also consider including in the Yamal project the construction of a gas liquefaction plant and related infrastructure, such as a seaport and ice class ships. In this connection, I would like to spotlight one of the key elements of the Yamal development programme - the creation of a new LNG centre in Russia."
"We proceed from the belief that when implementing joint projects on the Yamal Peninsular Russia will get access to our foreign partners' innovation technology, while Russian enterprises will get large-scale contracts for high-tech equipment, including the equipment we need."
"To become truly successful, the Yamal development programme should also be comprehensive. We need to consolidate the efforts of Gazprom and its partners, other oil and gas companies, and the Government. It would be inefficient to create expensive infrastructure to gain access to only one field, even one as large and unique as Bovanenkovo."
"We must do everything to the highest possible standards on the Yamal, above all as regards environmental protection. Nature in the Extreme North is very fragile; it would not tolerate unprofessionalism."
"Today we have commissioned a new 3.9-km railway bridge, the largest in the Arctic. It was built with the use of cutting-edge technology. We have also built a 572-km railway. They are a vital infrastructure prerequisite for large-scale development of the Yamal Peninsula. They mark the beginning of its development."
"I believe that the main value of Yamal's resources is their ability to act as a stabiliser of the global natural gas markets. These are unique deposits in terms of scale, which can flexibly regulate the amounts of commodities delivered to the market depending on changes in the demand and supply."
"The largest of these deposits, Bovanenkovo, has 5 trillion cubic metres of gas. Gazprom has actually started developing this deposit, where commercial production should begin in the third quarter of 2012. Overall, Yamal has approximately 12 trillion cubic metres of natural gas, and we are confident that additional exploration will greatly increase these figures."
"The Government has determined to develop it comprehensively for the greatest possible thrift and effect. As we see it, this development concept will consolidate the state's and mining companies' efforts and cut expenditures. If we establish a common transport network, power grid and welfare system, the job will be quicker and more efficient, and will cost much less-which matters most-than when every involved company builds an infrastructure for itself on its own. Several managers have said so today and, I think, everyone sees their point."
"The Government has decided to speed up the construction of a series of energy facilities. I am referring to the Neryungry Thermal Power Plant-Tommot-Maya line and the Suntar-Olekminsk line. This year alone, 3.5 billion roubles has been allocated for these purposes. There must be no delays in their construction."
"We will concentrate only on the north, though larger-scale development will also come up in our discussion. The north of the Krasnoyarsk Territory possesses 67% of Russian natural gas deposits, 60% of gas condensate and 15% of oil. Geological prospecting will go on, and promises more discoveries. 236 oil and gas fields have been discovered for now, and another 63 are being explored. It all makes mere 20% of oil deposits, 35% of gas and 17% of gas condensate. Experts assess summary potential yield as exceeding 115 million tonnes by 2020."
"A critical decision has been made to introduce the zero export duty rate for oil mined in certain Eastern Siberian fields, which include Vankor. All relevant bylaws must be passed urgently to make this norm work."
"As you know, the state has substantively expanded diamond purchases to support the industry. It has been decided to quadruple the funding being allocated for buying precious stones for the state treasury: this amount has grown from 3.7 billion roubles to 14.5 billion roubles. But I think even that is not enough. We understand that an industry that provided serious revenues both for the federal and the regional budget is in a difficult situation due to the global economic conditions and needs to be supported. I just had a discussion with mine workers and I would like to repeat here what I told them -that in total state support for the industry this year must amount to 30 to 35 billion roubles."
"In the current year, the Housing and Utilities Reform Fund has allocated more than one billion roubles for Yakutia - a substantial amount. These funds should be used to the utmost effect to solve the main problem for which the Fund was set up, namely to provide residents of dilapidated and unsafe buildings with new housing. Unfortunately, there is a great need for that in Yakutia."
"We have a programme for the development of the Far East and the Trans-Baikal region. Let us see how the work is proceeding here, in Yakutia.<...> A number of additional decisions have been adopted on the area's all-round development. We have launched and continue implementing a federal targeted programme on the Far East and the Trans-Baikal region, which provides for a substantive renovation and expansion of Yakutia's infrastructure: construction of new bridges, airports, railways and highways."
"The Eastern Gas Programme is also off to a good start. Its priorities are to pipe gas to the regions. The republic's head has just reported gas demand for Lensk is fully satisfied. At any rate, efforts have been made to reach the programme's targets. Next in line are Mirny and other towns and cities.<...> We are already seeing positive results. Yakutia's regional gross product has increased more than one-third between 2003 and 2008, while investment in fixed capital has grown 50%."
“The practice of allocating subsidies to balance regional budgets will be preserved. The subsidies will be diminished somewhat, but the practice will be preserved. Incidentally, we in Government have already decided to allocate additional subsidies of 70 billion roubles to 29 regions of the Russian Federation and on Saturday I signed a Government decree to the effect.”
“One of the Government's unquestioned priorities in the sphere of relations between budgets of different levels is financial support of delegated federal powers. The largest of them are spending on housing and utilities discounts for veterans and disabled persons and the exercise of powers in the sphere of employment. Subvention for housing and utilities rates in 2010 will amount to 102 billion roubles. Federal budget spending on employment will increase from 77.5 billion roubles in 2009 to 88.7 billion roubles in 2010.”
“We will continue the practice of granting the regions three-year budget loans at very low interest rates. Of course, this will be done above all for regions with low budget revenues.”
“It needs to be borne in mind that the crisis has affected different regions to different degrees. The hardest hit are the regions whose industries were oriented towards external markets. It is therefore necessary to take another hard look at the method of distributing subsidies and equalizing the budget sufficiency levels with due account of the changes that have taken place in the regional tax potential. I would like to stress that the overall size of the fund for financial support of the regions will not be cut.”
“Next year more than 1 trillion roubles will be allocated to support the regions. That is a hefty sum which, in our opinion, will cover the priority needs of the Russian regions.”
“Our decisions regarding the transport tax, indexation of alcohol, beer, and oil excises, and state duties will strengthen the regional revenue base. According to a Finance Ministry estimate, these measures will bring an extra 96 billion roubles to the consolidated budgets in 2010.”
“We have already introduced special privileged air ticket prices for the local people. They are effective from May 15 to September 15. I believe that we should take the next step and extend the privileged regime until the end of October this year. I have recently signed a resolution to this effect. We have calculated that another 90,000 residents of the Far East will be able to use this privilege.”
“We will also establish new production in the Far East. On July 27, the meeting of VEB's Supervisory Board decided to issue an investment loan worth 5 billion roubles to Sollers. A part of these funds - 1.8 billion roubles - will be used to set up a new car assembly plant in Vladivostok. This will create over 1,000 jobs in the city.”
“We will highlight the development of high-tech sectors such as shipbuilding and aircraft manufacturing. Detailed audits are being conducted at the local enterprises to determine development reserves and solve financing and marketing problems, including export.”
“In April we adopted a new federal programme aimed at creating safe living conditions in the country's quake-prone regions. Within that programme, we have transferred 1.6 billion roubles to the Sakhalin Region alone, and 3.5 billion roubles will be allocated to the Kamchatka Territory.”
“According to experts, some 150 billion cubic metres of gas will be produced in the Far East and Eastern Siberia by 2020. These resources must become the foundation for creating large power generation and gas processing facilities, for developing modern high-tech companies in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, the Irkutsk Region, Kamchatka, Sakhalin, Khabarovsk and the Primorye Territory.”
“The 2009 budget stipulates the allocation of 84.7 billion roubles for this programme, 23.7 billion roubles for energy projects, and 40.4 billion roubles for preparation for the APEC summit. These are huge funds.”
“I have signed a Government resolution that stipulates accelerating the construction of several vital energy projects, such as the Neryungri GRS-Tommot-Maya transmission line for ensuring the operation of the Eastern Siberia - Pacific Ocean oil pipeline (1.5 billion roubles), the construction of the Suntar-Olekminsk transmission line (2 billion roubles in 2009), the use of hydropower and geothermal resources of the Kamchatka Peninsula, and several other projects.”
“This year we must finish clearing up the consequences of the earthquake in Nevelsk. All of its victims must be given new housing and financial assistance, and the city must have a modern engineering infrastructure. I would like to remind you that 9.6 billion roubles has been allocated from the federal budget for the earthquake relief, including 8.8 billion roubles for construction. As much as 7.7 billion roubles was transferred by April 1. As of July 1, the region needed 1,587 flats, and 1,537 flats have been turned over to people. The remaining flats are to be commissioned within the next few days, by August 1, 2009.”
“But I would like to stress that it is first of all the domestic market that will be priority for gas from Eastern Siberia and the Far East. Gas will provide a resource base for the creation of large energy and gas processing facilities, and the development of state of the art and high-tech production operations. This will in turn replenish regional budgets, attract domestic and foreign investments, and boost the development of social services. And, of course, it will create jobs. 100 billion roubles invested in the gas sector will guarantee the creation of 70,000 to 80,000 jobs.”
“Our priority objective in the Far East is to create conditions for a comprehensive integration of the region into Russia's economic space, to enhance its business and investment attractiveness, and to improve the quality of life of the local people. To attain this goal, we adopted and are implementing a programme of economic and social development of the Far East and the Trans-Baikal region. Despite the problems created by the global economic crisis, we have only slightly reduced the allocations to this federal targeted programme in 2009, and have not cut at all the programme's spending on the development of the local energy sector and on preparations for the APEC summit.”
“The work of bringing gas to the Far East is already under way. Yet it can be rightfully said that today we are giving a start to a major and large-scale effort to extend the country's Unified Gas Supply system eastwards. This project (the Sakhalin-Khabarovsk-Vladivostok trunk gas pipeline) will open a new page in the development of Eastern Siberia and the Far East, breathe energy into the growth of these regions and make them more attractive and competitive. And, first and foremost, to improve the quality of life for Far Easterners and Siberians.”
“The construction of the Sakhalin-Khabarovsk-Vladivostok gas pipeline is only part of the state's sweeping Eastern Gas Programme. I am certain that even specialists who are present here today do not know all about the scale of this work. Within this programme, we are to undertake a vast amount of geological exploration in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, the Irkutsk Region, in Sakhalin, Yakutia and Kamchatka, to discover dozens of deposits, provide them with field facilities practically from scratch and put them into operation, and bind them together with a network of roads and gas pipelines.”
"We hope that the local authorities will follow the same logic by creating the most favourable business environment, and removing barriers preventing new companies from getting access to the local markets. In doing so, they will resolve the employment problem and replenish local finances."
"Programmes of the fund on assisting the development of housing and utilities have rendered substantial support for municipalities. The bodies of local government have already received more than 80 billion roubles from this investment fund. All in all, owing to this fund, into which we invested a total of 240 billion roubles, more than 120,000 people have already received new flats or will receive them in the near future. A considerable part of the dwelling stock will be repaired."
"Payment of salaries in the public sector should be made a priority. Incidentally, the Astrakhan Region has introduced new forms of payment in the public sphere, and the average level of salaries paid to those employed in main directions has gone up by 30% to 35%."
"The tax policy is also subject to change. At the recent meeting of the Government Commission on Budget Projections, we agreed to step up the introduction of the local tax on property. It is designed to replace the existing taxes on land and property. I hope very much that this change will substantially increase tax revenues for the local budgets. However, this should be achieved not by increasing tariff rates, but by differentiating them, as I already said at the aforementioned meeting."
"Considering these factors, we have decided to tangibly increase our support for the territories. In the new version of the budget, federal support for the regions is 36% higher than it was last year. All in all, we have earmarked 1,200 billion roubles for this purpose."
“The new wording of the 2009 budget stipulates the allocation of over 2.2 billion roubles to the Ministry of Healthcare and Social Development for co-financing the construction and overhaul of healthcare facilities in the regions and municipal districts. I want to say that this issue concerns additional projects that are not covered in federal target programmes and are financed from local reserves. <…> It should be said that we intend to continue helping the regions and municipal authorities to develop the social infrastructure. But our priority should be the financing of key projects of regional and federal importance.”
"The priorities here, as in regional politics in the regions of the Russian Federation should include: wage payment, the creation of new jobs, and fulfilling the social obligations to Russian citizens."
"The volume of Federal support for the regions in the revised budget has been increased by 36% compared with 2008. This help is accounted for in the new budget. In total we have set aside 1 trillion 200 billion roubles for this."
