| Senators want to help industry The thirst for reform seems to be covering ever wider sections of the Russian political-oligarchic elite. First, the RSPP decided to help the state develop reforms, now the Federation Council, and specifically the Committee on Industrial Policy, wants to teach the cabinet of ministers how to deregulate the Russian economy. To this end, the committee initiated consideration of its own “Concept of Industrial Policy in the Russian Federation” at yesterday’s meeting of the Presidium of the Council for Interaction of the Federation Council with the Council of Legislators representing Russian regions. The reason for developing the concept, which the senators worked on for a year, was the lack, as a source in the industrial policy committee put it, of a “conscious position” on this issue in the country’s government. The committee, the source assured, has not only a position, but also experience in carrying out structural reforms. For example, the head of the committee, Valentin Zavadnikov, being deputy chairman of the board of RAO UES, “was at the origins” of the electric power industry reform, which was recently approved by the Russian parliament. Today's industrial policy of the Russian government, as stated in the documents for the meeting, is out of date, since it does not meet the world level and does not take into account regional aspects. The committee’s concept, on the contrary, has been tested in the regions, the developers say. In particular, the senators discussed it with representatives of the constituent entities and the regional business elite at the Baikal Economic Forum.
To modernize industrial policy, the committee proposes to reform the country's economic legislation. “The body of legislation, regardless of its content, in itself has a negative impact on the economy,” said Mr. Zavadnikov. Therefore, legislation must be “unified and minimized.” In particular, make laws relating to such areas as the fuel and energy complex, transport, communications, military-industrial complex and international trade more liberal. The committee also proposes to protect private owners, whose rights, in its opinion, are ephemeral.
The tasks that need to be solved for the “correct” legislative support of Russian industrial policy are similar to the proposals of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs. Among them are the transition to self-regulation of the economy, simplification of the tax system, and reduction of state participation in the economy. It is not known how independently the senators came up with these conclusions, but a source in the committee assured the Vremya Novostei newspaper that not a single member of the RSPP was involved in the development of the concept. Marina SAIDUKOVA |
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