| Today the government will approve new regulations for its activities The new regulation turned out to be innovative. It removes a serious documentary burden from the leadership of the Cabinet of Ministers. The burden is shifted onto the shoulders of ministers, who, judging by the words of senior White House officials, have been strengthened for good reason.
The government will now be engaged only in legislative initiatives coming directly from ministers, federal services and agencies, partly supervisory and partly law enforcement activities. Only in exceptional cases - obviously, when there is the will of the president - will the government approve protocols or orders initiated by entities not listed above.
According to the new regulations, after the minister introduces a particular bill, this document must be checked by the apparatus within five days for compliance with the regulations. And if violations are found, he will be sent back to the department. After the expiration of the five-day period, the decision to return the initiative to the minister can only be made by the prime minister or his deputy. In addition to statistical verification for compliance with the regulations of a document, the government apparatus retains the function of assessing bills on their merits. But the conclusion of the government apparatus will be considered a conclusion only if it is approved by the government commission on legislative activity.
They say that the new regulations outline a procedure for reconciling disagreements in the event that the relevant ministry was unable to obtain approval from all interested parties. But since, according to the new regulations, the list of departments required for approval is determined by the minister, who, in fact, submits the bill to the government, it is clear that the procedure for resolving disagreements becomes a mere formality.
In addition to making it easier for the White House staff to work with documentation, the regulations may also contain rather vague rules for operations with information. Until now, Cabinet Resolution No. 98 “On information openness” was considered the highest achievement in relations between the government, the media and civil society. He was received under the premiership of Mikhail Kasyanov with great problems. Even such active liberals as Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin, not to mention illiberals, opposed the document. However, the idea of openness was legitimized, and the government, together with the ministries, was obliged to publish on their websites bills considered at cabinet meetings without the “Secret” stamp.
After the resignation of Kasyanov’s cabinet, officials tried to forget about Resolution No. 98. The new regulations should have imperceptibly reduced it to nothing. It was assumed that government documents and information would be disseminated by decision of the prime minister, his deputy or chief of staff.
But, according to the newspaper Vremya Novostei, today there will be no total secrecy of the cabinet's activities. A senior government source said that government documents and information will be disseminated primarily in accordance with legislation, presidential and government acts. And only then - in accordance with the decisions of the White House leadership. The same source confirmed to a Vremya Novostei newspaper correspondent that the new regulations “do not at all come into conflict with Resolution No. 98, it will not be annulled, and government and ministerial officials will act in accordance with it.” That is, there will be a chance, as before, to see draft laws approved by the Cabinet of Ministers on ministerial websites. Vera KUZNETSOVA |
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