We tried to compare the results of the ratings that were conducted in Russia last year. We conducted three studies: a regional section – Doing Business of the World Bank, subnational BEEPS and the global competitiveness rating 2011-2012 of the World Economic Forum.

Regional investment standard

Criteria for the standard of activities of executive bodies of the constituent entity of the Russian Federation to ensure a favorable investment climate in the region Availability of an investment strategy Approval of an infrastructure construction plan Annual message from the head of the region on achievements and investment plans Adoption of a law on the protection of investors' rights Availability of a Council for the improvement of the investment climate Availability of a specialized organization for attracting investments Availability of accessible infrastructure for the placement of production facilities Availability of mechanisms for training personnel in demand by investors Availability of a bilingual website on investment activities Unified regulations for supporting projects on the "single window" principle Adoption of an investment declaration Adoption of regulations for assessing the regulatory impact of regulatory legal acts Availability of a system for training, advanced training and assessment of the competence of officials Creation of a collegial advisory body under the REC Availability of a channel for direct communication between investors and the regional leadership Pilot regions implementing the investment standard Republic of Tatarstan Kaluga Region Sverdlovsk Region Perm Krai Ulyanovsk Region Lipetsk Region Republic of Bashkortostan Astrakhan Region Belgorod Region Chelyabinsk Region Yaroslavl Region Source: ASI Approved May 3 2012 by the ASI supervisory board. For an assessment of the results of the current state of implementation of the investment standard in pilot regions, see www.vedomosti.ru in the Conferences section (Vedomosti. Forum).

The overall assessment is known. But it should not cause despondency. Moreover, it is a challenge for us. In addition, there is a positive trend, including in Doing Business. And we are confident that in the near future we will continue this trend.

Of course, we understand that concentrating on ratings is not entirely correct; the concentration should be on the problems of entrepreneurs – here I agree with Jarosław [Bełdowski, First Vice President of the Bank of National Economy of Poland]. But one of the indicators of our work is reflected in ratings, among other things.

What does the World Bank Doing Business rating indicate regarding the problems that are key in the regional context? This is electricity supply in terms of connection to the power grid, construction, international trade and customs administration. I should note that this is the structure that is the basis for a program or project of a national entrepreneurial initiative, where we consistently record problems and solutions for each of them.

Next is the World Economic Forum version. The rating reflects the opinion of business, the opinion of top managers of the largest companies. And it has similar problematic positions - also energy, also connection to networks. Although there are other questions here, more related to the analysis of markets and opportunities.

The next one is the World Bank BEEPS rating. It correlates quite strongly with Doing Business. But what is important here is that this is an assessment by the entrepreneurs themselves: how they perceive the conditions for doing business in the country. What do we see here? The same electricity, the same infrastructure, the same tax administration... This information is very important for us, since it objectively reflects how the entrepreneur perceives the situation in our country. It helps us structure the problems: what is the responsibility of the federal authorities, and what is the competence of the regional ones.

And we now have two projects. The first is the national entrepreneurial initiative "Improving the Investment Climate in the Russian Federation", within the framework of which "road maps" have been developed aimed at solving problems at the federal level. The second project is the "Standard of Activities of Executive Authorities of a Subject of the Russian Federation to Ensure a Favorable Investment Climate in the Region", or simply the "Investment Standard". This is a format for solving regional problems. These ASI projects reflect the problems recorded in the ratings and ways to solve them with the help of the activities of federal and regional authorities.

Of course, all regions are different. And the priority of problems in them, in the opinion of business, is also different. Somewhere the most acute problem is connection to the grid, somewhere - a problem related to property registration or obtaining a building permit. But these and other specific local problems can be solved in the same format as the organized work on the "road maps" "National Entrepreneurial Initiative" and "Investment Standard".

The conventional name of this project, when business formulates problems, is standard 2.0. The agency can provide support in formulating these problems in a format that is acceptable to the corresponding level of government. And then – fixing clear indicators for the implementation of this roadmap.

We are confident that with this approach we will be able to change the situation quite quickly.

Expertise: Three versions, three assessments