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
"In 2010 the challenge will be even tougher; we set the inflation target at 7.5% or lower. We must pursue a balanced monetary policy and above all reduce the budget deficit. This is a difficult task, but we must try hard to bring the budget deficit down to 3% by 2012."
"Our efforts to boost internal demand, especially in such industries as automobile manufacturing and construction, will be critical. Thus, the pilot project aimed at disposing of used cars should be launched early in the year. The total cost of the programme is close to 10 billion roubles. Those who turn in their old car for scrap will get a 50,000-rouble subsidy."
"It is important to expand the base for economic growth, above all by supporting free enterprise and creating conditions for new companies to enter the market. The notification-based procedure of starting up businesses will be spread to all types of activities, with few exceptions. And these exceptions must be specified and listed."
"There are still risks. First, the growth has not yet become sustainable. Second, it is largely based on replicating the old, raw-materials-based model of development. This means that we should change our priorities and concentrate on the goals mapped out in our plan for long-term development, namely building new industrial capabilities and establishing an innovation-based economy."
“A draft law has been prepared to oblige thermal power stations to create fuel stocks in advance to ensure proper operation in autumn and winter. We touched on this issue early this year and even at the end of last year, if I'm not mistaken. We are introducing the mandatory inspection of facilities such as power stations, transmission lines and heating lines to verify their readiness for the cold season. Such work is being carried out now, but a targeted law will make it systemic, defining the obligations and responsibilities of the state and businesses in ensuring a reliable supply of heat and electricity to consumers.”
“I suggest we look at this issue from a broader perspective, considering conceptual approaches to tariff regulations. We must seek understandable and transparent tariff prescription policies to make tariff rates economically justified and not burdensome for the people and the economy. In addition, all bills must be based entirely on meter readings so that people will not have to pay for something they don't consume. Naturally, tariff policy must ensure investment attractiveness of the industry's infrastructure, promoting increased service reliability and quality, energy conservation and the application of the most efficient technological solutions.”
“In addition, the report on the performance of regional and municipal agencies will include the figures on fire safety, especially in sensitive or crowded areas.”
“The energy efficiency of the budget sector, natural/infrastructure monopolies, and large companies with state capital is another important objective. I have said more than once that the government must start with itself in terms of energy savings. The consumption of fuel and energy in the budget sector must be cut by at least 15% within five years. The policy of energy savings implies not only bans and restrictions, but also measures encouraging the rational and responsible use of resources.”
“We must seriously consider energy efficiency for the design and maintenance of residential blocks, social facilities, and office and industrial premises. Of course, it is impossible to ensure radical improvements overnight, and the programme will be very expensive, as everyone knows. Still, all new construction projects, reconstruction and capital repairs of buildings must proceed with due attention to energy efficiency.”
“Next year we will introduce the notion of an "energy efficiency category" for goods. Consumers can and must know whether they are buying energy efficient or energy inefficient equipment.”
“We must also require the obligatory participation of manufacturers in the capital repair and technical maintenance of the equipment they produce, as well as requirements for the skills of professionals working at power generating facilities who should be regularly certified and be personally responsible for compliance with technical regulations.”
“This is why we must make prompt decisions to ensure fundamentally new standards of safety and reliability for power generating facilities. Obviously you have an exceptionally large role to play in this undertaking. First of all, we must review and adopt modern safety standards and norms for each technological stage, from equipment design engineering to operation and maintenance.”
"Would like to emphasise once again that we will continue fighting corruption. The President has spoken more than once about this, and the Government will do all we can on this issue, although this is a very complicated process. Corruption is a huge problem in this country, but we are not the only ones. Corruption is worst in countries with transitional economies, because they have numerous grey zones which are not regulated by law. However, we will achieve success if all of us, if our entire society works on this issue."
"State-owned corporations were not established to expand the state's involvement in the economy. They were established in order to gather the fragments of those industries and enterprises that were scattered in previous decades, primarily during the privatisation of the 1990s, and that are also vital to the interests of the state. This includes the aircraft industry and some areas of the defence industry. Our task is to consolidate these assets and bring them up to the required conditions and levels. In some cases, these corporations will actually be dissolved, as is the case with the housing and public utilities corporation, which was established to operate for a preset period. Some of them must be converted into public shareholding companies, which was initial goal."
"Construction norms and standards need to be updated very soon. We cannot afford to carry out multibillion rouble infrastructure projects based on 1970s standards which are unreasonably costly. That amounts to squandering resources."
"To save money and do away with corruption it is necessary to introduce electronic tenders in concluding state contracts for infrastructure development. Objectively, we are prepared for it; there is nothing that stands in the way. All we need to do is to do it. Some regions are already doing it: in Tatarstan Sberbank is doing it and Moscow is doing it. We should move forward more vigorously."
"It is time for business to start working in a different way. Unfortunately, many are used to following a simple rule of thumb: squeeze everything out of outdated equipment and incur debt in the hope that the government will come to the rescue and eventually pull them out of this pit. This mentality - the mentality of time-servers - is not one that can build a modern economy. At the legislative level it is necessary to formulate requirements that would induce business to seek to improve its effectiveness day in and day out."
"We should come to terms with the premise that the key factors of development in the coming years will be internal resources: the optimisation and retrofitting of industry, increasing labour productivity and an effective employment structure. Infrastructure monopolies and major companies with government participation must adopt internal programmes aimed at achieving an international level of efficiency and standards of transparency that shed the risk of corruption."
"We will continue implementing targeted measures aimed at further reconstruction and post-crisis development of the economy. We propose to concentrate on the following key areas: First, we must ensure the stable operation of systemically important enterprises, driving forward the programmes of their technical renewal and modernisation. Second, stimulate hi-tech exports. Third, develop housing construction. Fourth, support internal demand, including the most important and embattled industry, the automobile industry. And of course, there is the challenge of unemployment and the problems of single-industry cities."
"In order to move forward we must clean up the economy of hopelessly outdated and wasteful production facilities, identify and support a genuinely competitive nucleus in the real sector of the economy. We have such a nucleus."
