Vladimir Putin’s opening remarks:
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. We are starting to prepare a draft federal budget for 2012 – 2014, and I would like to call on everyone to work hard and act responsibly and professionally at all stages of that process.
The government will approve the terms and parameters of social and economic development for 2012 – 2014 and the guidelines of tax and customs policy no later than late April or early May. In June, we will have to decide on the key aspects of the federal budget, including volumes of revenues and expenses and limits on the budget deficit. The budget must be submitted to the State Duma no later than October 1. We will be drafting the main financial statement as transparently as possible, as we always do. We will attract deputies of the State Duma and members of the Federation Council to this work.
I suggest that we discuss issues related to the preparation of long-term state programmes, which ought to form the basis for budget planning and government activity in general, at today’s extended meeting. We must place fundamentally different demands on the effectiveness of government administration and, of course, substantially increase the return on every rouble in government investment in terms of improving the lives of our citizens and developing our society and economy.
What results do we expect from state programmes? First and foremost, the work of each federal executive agency must be closely coordinated with general development priorities and the strategic goals that we are setting.
Second. The management of budget funds and other instruments of state policy must be significantly improved. For instance, we have to provide for the coordinated use of legal regulation, customs and tax administration, customs and tax benefits, and federal property.
Third. We need to proceed from the necessity of pursuing a strict budget policy. In the coming years, we will have to solve the problem of the federal budget deficit, eliminate it, and start saving our reserves.
As part of the new budget structure, we must set priorities more clearly, focus on key projects for social, economic, scientific, and technological development, and ensure the fulfillment of our programmes in national security and defence.
The state programmes must be based on the projects included in the Main Guidelines for Government Performance, as we have previously agreed. We also need to use the experience that we have gained from past and current national projects in full. We will have to draft 42 state programmes. They must be submitted to the government in April. I ask you to pay particular attention to their financial soundness. We need realistic documents with a concrete number of events and measures that are supported by budget funds. We must do our best to make well-balanced decisions during a stage of recovery following global economic downturn. The decisions must be realistic, and, at the same time, they must allow for development. Let’s get down to work.