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In the new year, the first special port zones will appear in Russia
The main result of the outgoing year for the Federal Agency for Special Economic Zones (RosSEZ) was the official opening of a zone in Alabuga (or, more commonly in our ears, Yelabuga ). Plans for next year include opening zones in Dubna, Tomsk and Lipetsk. However, the main event of the coming year should be the emergence in Russia of a new, fourth type of zone - port .The competition for the selection of port economic zones is planned to be announced before the end of this year and its results to be summed up in the first quarter of 2008, Deputy Minister of Economic Development Kirill Androsov said yesterday at a meeting on the results of RosSEZ activities. “All necessary orders are ready. And by the end of the year we plan to announce a competition,” the official said.
According to him, a competition will be announced simultaneously to select all existing types of ports - sea, river and airports. The head of RosSEZ, Mikhail Mishustin, believes that the results of the competition will be summed up in the first quarter of next year.
It is more difficult to resolve the issue of holding the second stage of competitions for industrial production and technology development zones. According to Mr. Androsov, there is an instruction from the government to study the issue of the possibility of creating zones in a number of regions. However, he emphasized, the ministry’s position is that special economic zones should not be just a measure of the social development of the region. The issue of holding a repeat competition will be decided only after analyzing the first results of the functioning of the already created zones.
Minister of Economic Development Elvira Nabiullina, who was present at the meeting, noted that the next two years will decide the fate of the project to create special economic zones as “growth points.” During this time, the creation of infrastructure in all types of zones should be completed. In addition, it is necessary to continue work to attract residents to these zones.
At the same time, the bar for the zones is set very high. Investments by 52 registered residents should amount to 26.9 billion rubles by 2010, and 13 thousand jobs will be created, Mr. Mishustin said. In addition, according to him, by 2010 it is planned to attract at least 250 more residents for all types of zones with investments in the amount of more than 35 billion rubles. This will create more than 18 thousand additional jobs, Mr. Mishustin said.
However, the board members at RosSEZ admitted that there are problems. In particular, in relations with regional authorities. So, for example, according to Elvira Nabiullina, “in order to move forward in the Kaliningrad region (a tourist and recreational zone is being created there. - Ed. ), we urgently need to formalize the transfer of land plots.”
Mr. Mishustin also said that there is a lag behind the schedule in Moscow Zelenograd and St. Petersburg. However, it is not critical. On average, said the head of the Federal Agency for Special Economic Zones, it is three months. But two zones in Altai turned out to be the most active. The first facilities here will be opened next year, added Mr. Mishustin.