Officially

President

Signed the federal law “On Amendments to Article 85 of the Federal Law “On General Principles of the Organization of Local Self-Government in the Russian Federation”, adopted by the State Duma on April 8 and approved by the Federation Council on April 13. In accordance with the law, government bodies of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation are given the right until May 31 2005, by its own law, establish the procedure for electing heads of newly formed municipalities for the first term of their powers, as well as the status of this position in the structure of local government bodies. In addition, government bodies of the constituent entities of the federation are given the right, when forming a competition commission, to consider candidates for the position of head. the local administration of the municipal district (urban district) under the contract, appoint members of the competition commission in a number equal to the number of members appointed by the representative body of the municipal formation of the first convocation.

Government

Approved the rules for financing this year's expenses for social programs, including the provision of targeted social assistance to non-working pensioners, and for carrying out measures to eliminate the consequences of emergencies and natural disasters in terms of providing targeted social assistance to non-working pensioners at the expense of the Pension Fund. The corresponding decree was signed by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov.

Departments

The Ministry of Natural Resources has submitted to the government a revised draft law “On subsoil,” the ministerial press service reported. The Cabinet of Ministers approved the new version of the law on March 17, but gave it a month to finalize it taking into account the comments made. After the bill is submitted to the government, it will be sent to the State Duma for consideration. The new version of the law determines that only citizens of the Russian Federation and legal entities created in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation can be subjects of subsoil use. Thus, foreign companies wishing to work with Russian subsoil must register their subsidiaries in the country.

The Ministry of Agriculture is ready to provide subsidies to pay off the interest rate of loans taken for the development of livestock agricultural holdings for a period of up to five years, said Minister of Agriculture Alexey Gordeev. He emphasized that we are talking about non-state financing. The minister noted that he supports the development of agricultural holdings involved in investing in the development of livestock farming in Russia. “We, in fact, are on the pins and needles of meat supplies from abroad and are dependent on rising meat prices in Europe,” admitted Gordeev.

The heads of the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Industry and Energy and the Ministry of Finance signed an order regulating the procedure for applying customs benefits when importing auto components for the industrial assembly of foreign cars in Russia, the press service of the Ministry of Economic Development reported. Now the order must be registered with the Ministry of Justice, after which it will come into effect. The order was issued in addition to the previously adopted government resolution, according to which customs duties on the import of auto components for the industrial assembly of foreign cars in the Russian Federation are significantly reduced. Duties are reduced to 3-5% from the current 12-15% of customs value. For a number of items, import duties are abolished altogether.

Supreme Court

Canceled the registration of Vasily Shandybin as a candidate for State Duma deputy. “The Supreme Court decided to cancel the decision of the Bryansk Regional Court and make a new decision to cancel the registration of candidate Shandybin,” the court said. Earlier, the Bryansk Regional Court rejected the claim to annul the registration of Shandybin, who was a deputy of the State Duma of the second (1995-1999) and third (1999-2003) convocations, and was a member of the Communist Party faction. Elections for a State Duma deputy in Bryansk district No. 66 (instead of Nikolai Denin, who became the region’s governor) will take place on April 24.

Based on materials from news agencies and our own information