One of the key committees of Smolny is facing changes

The Committee for Economic Development, Industrial Policy and Trade (KERPPiT) of the government of St. Petersburg in the spring may be divided into two separate departments and one state institution (GU), which will deal with government procurement. According to Smolny employees, the powers of the KERPPiT will most likely be redistributed according to federal patterns, to which Sergei Vyazalov, who comes from the Ministry of Finance, is accustomed.

As Kommersant learned, the St. Petersburg government is actively discussing the possibility of dividing one of the key departments - KERPPiT. “The government is discussing the possibility of dividing the committee into two - a committee on industry and a committee on entrepreneurship. Similar to the scheme of the ministries of Russia. The Committee on Entrepreneurship, according to the model of the Ministry of Economic Development, will deal with the socio-economic development of the city and entrepreneurship (including small businesses) The Industry Committee will deal with issues of industry and trade, similar to the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Thus, areas of responsibility in almost all other regions of the country are divided,” said one of the directors of the city’s machine-building enterprise.

The same scheme was described by Kommersant’s source in the KERPPiT: “The powers of the KERPPiT will most likely be redistributed according to federal patterns, to which Sergei Vyazalov, who comes from the Ministry of Finance and oversees the bloc in the city government, is accustomed. Just as in the executive branch of the Russian Federation there is the Ministry of Economic Development and The Ministry of Industry and Trade and the city administration are expected to create a “State Planning” committee dealing with socio-economic development, attracting and supporting investors, and a structure for industrial affairs and the sale of goods and services. Where will small and medium-sized businesses go and other concerns of the committee. , as officials joke, they are involved in everything - “from defense to funerals,” it is not yet clear. “The final form of the concept of the division of the committee is still unknown: it is possible that the functionality of the new structures will change before the actual regulations on the new bodies are written,” - the source said.

Chairman of the KERPPiT Evgeny Elin told Kommersant yesterday that he is not familiar with such plans. However, another source in his committee confirmed the information about the separation of the industry committee into a separate structure: “Yes, there are such plans. They are being seriously discussed. I think a decision can be made in the second quarter,” he said.

As Kommersant’s interlocutor told us, the department is indeed preparing for division, but all metamorphoses are likely to occur after the presidential elections, but before the spring budget adjustment, in which the changes will need to be reflected. Firstly, if a decision is made to liquidate a government agency, then employees will need to be fired with the appropriate “golden parachutes” - considerable expenses will need to be included in the budget for the payments due. And secondly, even if a scheme is found for restructuring the committee without total formal dismissals, it will still be necessary to change the departmental structure of budget expenditures and distribute items to new managers. In addition, according to Kommersant’s interlocutor, it is planned to separate the government procurement department from KERPPiT as a separate structural unit: “Most likely, it will not become a separate committee, but a state institution - a state institution that will organize competitive procedures for the entire Smolny.”

According to an industry source, Smolny is actively collecting resumes and selecting candidates for the posts of heads of new structures. “In particular, Anatoly Turchak, deputy president of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of St. Petersburg, is being considered for the position of head of the industry committee. Another vice-president of the union, Nikolai Kovalev, is also considered one of the main candidates,” the interlocutor said. It was not possible to contact Nikolai Kovalev yesterday.

Industry representatives cautiously comment on the prospects for the separation of the KERPPiT and its impact on business. “I am glad to separate the industry into a separate block, since this is the most important area - both from an economic and social point of view. Individual people should be engaged in industry,” says Pavel Plavnik, General Director of Zvezda OJSC.

One of the former Smolny officials commented on the initiative as follows: “The authorities need to change something in order to create the appearance of work.”

Irina Bychina, Konstantin Andrianov

According to federal patterns