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Press release on Russian Mi-8 helicopter crash off Svalbard
29 October 2017 23:10
Today, Minister of Civil Defence, Emergencies and Disaster Relief Vladimir Puchkov reported to Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on search and rescue efforts following the crash of a Mil Mi-8 helicopter with Russian citizens aboard. The crash occurred in the sea off Svalbard (Spitsbergen Island). Mr Puchkov reported on the combined efforts of the ministry and the Norwegian rescue service and the measures taken in cooperation with the service.

Later, Dmitry Medvedev held a telephone conversation with Norway’s Prime Minister Erna Solberg at the initiative of the Norwegian side.

Ms Solberg expressed her condolences on the death of Russian citizens in the Mi-8 crash near Svalbard and asked that her words be conveyed to the relatives and friends of the crash victims. Mr Medvedev thanked the Norwegian Government and the authorities of Svalbard for organising the search and rescue operation which included a Russian Emergencies Ministry team.

The heads of government noted the importance of strengthening practical cooperation in the Arctic region and emphasised their mutual interest in the development of Russian-Norwegian relations.

Communique of the 31st meeting of the Foreign Investment Advisory Council in Russia (Moscow, 16 October 2017)
30 October 2017 13:40

The 31st meeting of the Foreign Investment Advisory Council in Russia (FIAC) (hereinafter referred to as the meeting) took place on 16 October 2017 under the chairmanship of Prime Minister and FIAC Chairman Dmitry Medvedev.

Context
Decisions following the 31st meeting of Russia’s Foreign Investment Advisory Council

The meeting was attended by heads of major world companies and banks.

The Foreign Investment Advisory Council in Russia (hereinafter referred to as the Advisory Council) provides ongoing support to the Russian Government in developing measures to promote good conditions for business activities, attracting investment and encouraging exports.

Advisory Council members took an active part in drafting proposals aimed at upgrading the legislative foundation and law enforcement norms on doing business.

In 2018 the Advisory Council will focus on the following priority areas.

Localising production in Russia

Drafting proposals to use the infrastructure for supporting small and medium-sized business to integrate Russian suppliers into global added value chains.

Improving tax administration

Preserving tax benefits for movable property.

Improving customs procedures

Drafting proposals to improve implementation of customs procedures on customs territory to encourage exports.

Drafting proposals to streamline the work of authorised economic operators.

Removing administrative barriers and improving tax regulation

Bolstering the activities of the Advisory Council members in assessing the effectiveness of legislative acts that concern interests of entrepreneurs and other economic entities with due account of the risks revealed during the assessment of regulatory impact.

Drafting proposals to upgrade the regulatory base in dealing with production and consumption waste, including harmonising conditions for regulated entities and establishing balanced increase in the recycling rate.

Developing trade and the consumer market

Drafting proposals to streamline the introduction of online veterinary certification of monitored products.

Drafting proposals to upgrade state veterinary supervision of processed and packed products of animal origin that were subjected to thermal or other industrial treatment.

Drafting proposals to promote healthy lifestyle and balanced diet and ways of countering non-infectious diseases.

Drafting proposals on elaborating and adopting phytosanitary legislative acts.

Raising energy efficiency

Drafting proposals to improve the mechanisms of implementing investment projects on upgrading generating equipment.

Developing healthcare and the pharmaceutical industry

Drafting proposals to improve the legislative framework regarding the circulation of pharmaceuticals and medical devices, increase the efficiency of benefits to encourage the localisation of medicines, including innovative products, protect intellectual property rights, and foster cooperation in science.

Making better use of natural resources

Drafting proposals to improve the procedure of export of geological information.

Drafting proposals to improve legislation on providing government services to foreign companies and their accredited affiliates.

Developing the banking sector and financial markets

Drafting proposals to improve criteria for selecting banking institutions in which it is possible to place funds of the Government, state corporations and strategic companies and which can issue bank guarantees in behalf of the Government.

Promoting innovative development

Drafting proposals to improve innovation policy, including streamlining the requirements on the localisation of software and electronic components, and cooperation with educational institutions in training highly qualified personnel and ensuring the sustainable development of industry and energy sector.

In 2018 the Advisory Council will concentrate on implementing these priority tasks in order to reach the main goal of improving Russia’s investment climate.

In addition, the Advisory Council plans to develop such areas of activity as developing the Far East and Siberia and improving Russia’s investment image.

Advisory Council members will further use their expertise to help the Russian Government to implement the tasks of strengthening the national economy.

The next, 32nd meeting of the Advisory Council is scheduled for the third Monday of October 2018.

Decisions following the 31st meeting of Russia’s Foreign Investment Advisory Council
30 October 2017 13:40

Dmitry Medvedev chaired a meeting of the Advisory Council on 16 October 2017. As a result of the meeting, the following decisions were made and instructions issued (Resolution DM-P13-7063 of 23 October 2017):

To approve a list of priority areas of activity of the Foreign Investment Advisory Council (FIAC) for 2018 as specified in the Communique adopted at the 31stmeeting of the FIAC.

The Economic Development Ministry (Maxim Oreshkin) and federal executive agencies will ensure the consideration of proposals and recommendations of the FIAC with the participation of organisations concerned.

The results are to be reported to the Government of the Russian Federation in July 2018.

The Finance Ministry (Anton Siluanov), the Economic Development Ministry (Maxim Oreshnkin) and the Federal Customs Service (Vladimir Bulavin), together with the working group on improving customs legislation of the Advisory Council on Foreign Investment, will consider simplifying the procedure for the identification of foreign goods in processed products, taking into account international experience and, if necessary, will submit to the Russian Government, before 1 December 2017, proposals on amending Russian legislation.

The Ministry of Agriculture (Allexander Tkachev) and the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision (Sergei Dankvert) will inform economic entities with any property ownership status (including educational and health care institutions and trade organisations) handling goods subject to national veterinary oversight (supervision) regarding the introduction of online veterinary certification.

The results are to be reported to the Russian Government by 5 December 2017.

The Ministry of Agriculture (Alexander Tkachev), the Economic Development Ministry (Maxim Oreshkin), the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision (Sergei Dankvert) and the Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare (Anna Popova), jointly with industrial unions (associations) and organisations producing finished (processed) dairy products, will consider the expediency of accompanying such products with supporting veterinary documents.

The results are to be reported to the Russian Government by 14 December, 2017.

The Finance Ministry (Anton Siluanov), the Ministry of Health (Veronika Skvortsova), the Ministry of Trade and Industry (Denis Manturov) and the Federal Antimonopoly Service (Igor Artemyev), jointly with federal executive agencies and organisations concerned, will consider the advisability of buying innovative patented medications by signing contracts without holding online auctions.

The results are to be reported to the Russian Government by 28 November 2017.

The Finance Ministry (Anton Siluanov) and the Labour Ministry (Maxim Topilin) will analyse the practice of granting preferences to national public organisations of people with disabilities in making procurements for state and municipal needs, including in cases when they are not the manufacturers of procured products.

The results are to be reported to the Russian Government by 19 December 2017.

The Ministry of Health (Veronika Skvortsova), the Ministry of Trade and Industry (Denis Manturov) and the Federal Antimonopoly Service (Igor Artemyev), together with federal executive agencies and organisations concerned and taking into account international experience, will consider the possibility of introducing a fast-track procedure for state registration of innovative medications.

The results are to be reported to the Russian Government by 28 November 2017.

The Ministry of Health (Veronika Skvortsova), the Ministry of Trade and Industry (Denis Manturov), the Federal Antimonopoly Service (Igor Artemyev) and the Federal Service for Intellectual Property (Grigory Ivliyev), together with federal executive agencies and organisations concerned, will analyse law enforcement practice in protecting exclusive rights to inventions related to medications and submit to the Russian Government, by 14 March 2018, coordinated proposals with regard to streamlining legislation in this sphere.

The Finance Ministry (Anton Siluanov), the Energy Ministry (Alexander Novak) and the Economic Development Ministry (Maxim Oreshkin), together with federal executive agencies, will look into the possibility of easing the tax burden by reducing the mineral extraction tax for Gazprom’s joint projects with a share of foreign investment.

The results are to be reported to the Russian Government.

The Finance Ministry (Anton Siluanov), in formulating, together with the Bank of Russia and the auditing community, the Russian Government’s position on draft Federal Law No. 273179-7 “On amending certain legislative acts of the Russian Federation (with regard to granting the Bank of Russia auditing powers),” will pay special attention to incorporating provisions ensuring the exhaustive description of norms with regard to granting the Bank of Russia regulatory, control and auditing supervisory powers, as well as preventing a conflict of interests in exercising banking regulation and oversight, regulation, control and oversight of financial markets and regulation control and oversight of auditing activity.

The results are to be reported to the Russian Government.

The Ministry of Communications and Mass Media (Nikolai Nikiforov), the Economic Development Ministry (Maxim Oreshkin), the Energy Ministry (Alexander Novak) and the Ministry of Trade and Industry (Denis Manturov), together with federal executive agencies and with the participation of the autonomous non-profit organisation Analytical Center for the Government of the Russian Federation and the autonomous non-profit organisation Digital Economy, will submit to the Russian Government coordinated proposals regarding mechanisms of cooperation with foreign companies in implementing the Digital Economy of the Russian Federation programme.