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 a letter recently posted on the Internet the teaching community complains about the problems that beset the Russian education system and points to gaps in legislation. The letter is addressed to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Like true professionals, the teachers did not just present their demands, but also suggested ways of addressing the task.
The Government is trying to find ways to compensate for falling car sales. This year government ministries and departments will spend 12.5 billion roubles on purchasing cars and commercial vehicles from Russian manufacturers.
The traditional Munich security conference was attended by a record number of world leaders. It was addressed by US Vice President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Nicholas Sarkozy, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and European Union leaders Jose Barroso and Javier Solana, among others.
The G20 meeting in London in April is expected to produce a decision on changing the rules of financial market regulation, above all to improve the work of banks.
On February 9, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin requested a draft resolution on new car loan subsidised interest rates for the purchase of Russian-made cars. The government intends to earmark 2 billion roubles for this purpose promising to compensate 8% of the annual interest. The list of eligible cars includes not only Ladas but also foreign models assembled in Russia. This means that about 64,000 new car buyers will be able to apply for subsidies, while the Kaliningrad-based Avtotor and Taganrog assembly plants (TagAZ) will find themselves out of play.
On February 9, the Ministry of Finance said Russia had not received an official request from Kiev to loan $5 billion to Ukraine for financing its budget deficit, but that both sides had held consultations on the issue in Moscow the previous week.
Russia's Finance Ministry will be authorised to accredit rating agencies, organisations that assign credit ratings for issuers of certain types of instruments, such as companies, national and regional governments, or non-profit organisations, thus assessing the issuers' credit worthiness.
The first meeting of the Political Council of the Solidarity opposition movement on February 13 will discuss a plan to combat the economic crisis. The movement’s leaders have already declared that the “main component of the Russian crisis” is the Putin Government and have urged President Dmitry Medvedev to fire him at once.
Russia's Ministry of Regional Development is seeking damages over the failure to build St Petersburg's flood protection system on schedule.
The United Russia party is fine-tuning its contacts with Europe’s conservatives, who are represented in the largest political group in the European Parliament. The leader of United Russia and Prime Minister of Russia Vladimir Putin is helping to convince Europeans that it’s worth cooperating with the Russian “bear”.
Amid the ongoing economic downturn and falling raw materials prices, the oil lobby is demanding tax breaks for the industry. Vedomosti has learned that Vladimir Putin might meet with oil industry representatives this week to discuss the possibility of replacing the mineral extraction tax (MET) and the oil export duty with a tax on windfall profits. Taken together, the current taxes account for one third of the country’s budget revenues.
United Russia is preparing for the elections of eight regional parliaments in March. The campaign is the first since the onset of the world economic downturn, which is sure to influence its outcome. We have discussed the possible impact of the crisis on voting in the regions, as well as the governing party’s response, with First Deputy Secretary of the Presidium of the United Russia General Council and Chairman of the State Duma Labour and Social Policy Committee, Andrei Isayev.
The Government has decided who will deliver support to the economy
Kommersant has learned the details of a meeting on the restructuring of the banking system held by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on February 3. Those at the meeting were presented with a list of 81 core banks and two options of government support: the bailout of 4-5 or 30 banks, respectively. However, because of the shortage of resources the White House may consider a third option: to rescue only as many banks as it can.
This year there will be 18 candidates for 11 seats on Gazprom's Board of Directors. Representatives of independent gas companies, Itera and NOVATEC, have been stricken off the list of candidates. They have been replaced by Valery Musin, a head of department at St Petersburg State University and former research supervisor of President Dmitry Medvedev and teacher of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, as well as two members of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS).This year there will be 18 candidates for 11 seats on Gazprom's Board of Directors. Representatives of independent gas companies, Itera and NOVATEC, have been stricken off the list of candidates. They have been replaced by Valery Musin, a head of department at St Petersburg State University and former research supervisor of President Dmitry Medvedev and teacher of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, as well as two members of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS).
Opening yesterday's meeting of the Commission for Monitoring Foreign Investment in Russia, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said: "We are to consider several applications for the acquisition of shares in enterprises that develop space and rocket technology and operate in the spheres of transport and the use of subsoil resources." He said that the Commission has recently received about 45 applications from foreign investors seeking to participate in strategic sectors. "In spite of all the consequences of the world economic crisis our partners are still showing a high interest in the Russian economy," Mr Putin said.
The law on access to strategic sectors will be refined, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin announced. The FAS (Federal Antimonopoly Service) hopes to be able to get information on the buyer's ultimate beneficiaries.
The Government has approved the procedure of issuing subsidies to federal civil servants to acquire housing, allowing government officials to bypass general rules.
A Brussels delegation led by the EU Commission Chairman Jose Manuel Barroso will arrive in Moscow tomorrow. The Europeans will meet with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Friday and will also be received by President Dmitry Medvedev. Brussels stresses the political importance of the very fact of the visit.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin yesterday announced the Government's milestone decision on the bailout of the Russian banking system. The Government was discussing late into the night not only the additional capitalisation of VEB, Sberbank and VTB worth 800 billion roubles, but also the option of the state buying into the capital of private banks. The amount earmarked for the bailout is 32% of the aggregate capital of Russia's banks. According to Kommersant, the shareholders of Alfa-Bank and Gazprombank are ready to share stakes with government structures. Uralsib is also considering whether to follow suit.
