Putin signed the RAS Reform Law

Vladimir Putin signed a scandalous law on the reform of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the creation of a special agency, which will take care of the property of the Academy, the Kremlin press service reports. Earlier it was reported that the president would not pull with the signing of the document, it was even expected that he would sign it on Thursday - however, this happened a day later.

Federal law establishes the legal status, powers and functions of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and also determine the procedure for managing the Russian Academy of Sciences and the procedure for financial support for its activities.

- The history of the reform of the Russian Academy of Science
- Newsru.com survey: "Reform of the Russian Academy of Sciences"

In addition, Putin signed a decree "On the Federal Agency of Scientific Organizations." The management of the Federal Agency of Scientific Organizations is carried out by the Government of the Russian Federation; The head of the Federal Agency for Scientific Organizations is appointed to the Government of the Russian Federation in agreement with the President of the Russian Federation, ”the agency said in the document. The decree enters into force from the day the Federal Law“ On the Russian Academy of Sciences, Reorganization of the State Academy of Sciences and Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation ”.

It should be noted that the Law "On the Russian Academy of Sciences, the reorganization of the State Academies of Sciences and Amendments to certain legislative acts of the Russian Federation" was adopted as soon as possible: for example, the State Duma was approved on September 18, and the Federation Council on September 25.

President of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vladimir Fortov, who recently approved the reform of the Russian Academy of Sciences, asked the scientific community to calmly perceive the new law. “I would like to call scientists to work calmly and do everything for the development of our science,” Interfax quotes the scientist.

Fortov previously stated that the Reform of the Russian Academy of Sciences is a compromise, through long and difficult negotiations, achieved by officials and scientists.

In turn, the first vice-speaker of the State Duma from the Communist Party, Professor of Moscow State University Ivan Melnikov called the signing by the head of state the Law on the Reform of the Russian Academy of Sciences "a large and dramatic mistake." “I am sure that sooner or later there will be a return to the system of the organization of science that was to this day. Firing, the authorities have repeatedly“ dismissed back ”, whether it was the Zurabovo pension reform, the cancellation of the election of governors and much more,” Melnikov expressed his opinion.

History of Reform of the Russian Academy of Science

The question of the reform of the Russian Academy of Sciences arose in June 2013, when the Minister of Education proposed to make a community of outstanding scientists from an obsolete, "archaic" structure ". Further events developed rapidly: the draft law was prepared, according to which the three academies (RAS, RAMS and RAMS) were to be liquidated and transformed into a unified public-state organization "Russian Academy of Sciences".

The reform immediately met a powerful resistance from the scientific community, which critically reacted to the prepared transformations, largely due to the fact that the decision on reform, in the words of the Russian Academy of Sciences, "was prepared secretly and fell from above." Scientists turned to President Vladimir Putin with amendments that they wanted to see in the bill.

As a result, on July 5, the second reading adopted a law on the reform of the Russian Academy of Sciences with the amendments that scientists proposed. When discussing the bill, the deputies approved more than 60 amendments, in particular, legal issues - the Academy were not liquidated, but joined the wounds.

However, the members of the Russian Academy of Sciences remained unhappy with the reform. It was decided to spend the final third reading in the State Duma after the summer holidays, since the speed of adoption of the law also caused dissatisfaction. In September, passions around the reform of the Russian Academy of Sciences flared up again: protesting scientists demanded to leave control over the property of scientific institutions for the Russian Academy of Sciences. As a result, the State Duma returned the bill to the second reading to discuss the amendments of scientists.

Ultimately, the law was adopted , approved by the Federation Council and signed by the president, despite several boxes with signatures of opponents of the reform. Almost all research institutes have passed to the jurisdiction of the Federal Agency for Property Management of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The only exception is that the norm will not apply to the Far Eastern, Siberian and Ural branches of the Russian Academy of Sciences.