1 march 2012

Materials to the March 1, 2012 Government Presidium meeting

Press Release*

The following issues are scheduled for discussion at the Government Presidium meeting on March 1, 2012:

1. On presenting to the president of the Russian Federation to submit for ratification the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

The draft federal law has been submitted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Healthcare and Social Development.

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was approved by the UN General Assembly on December 13, 2006.

The convention aims to protect and promote the rights of persons with disabilities, prevent their discrimination and ensure their full participation in the community.

The convention was opened for signing on March 30, 2007. It came into force on May 3, 2008 after ratification by 50 states.

The convention was signed on behalf of the Russian Federation by the minister of foreign affairs on September 24, 2008.

It is due for ratification under Article 43 of the convention and under the Federal Law On International Agreements of the Russian Federation.

Russian law does not contradict the convention’s provisions, including where the social protection of persons with disabilities is concerned. Implementing its provisions will require the improvement of the existing mechanisms and the introduction of new mechanisms to ensure the rights of persons with disabilities and create conditions for their social inclusion.

2. Draft federal law On Introducing Changes to the Federal Law On State Support for Youth and Children’s Voluntary Associations

The draft law has been submitted by the Ministry of Sport, Tourism and Youth Policy.

The federal law On Introducing Changes to Article 9 of the Federal Law On Insurance Premiums to the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation, Federal Fund of Mandatory Medical Insurance and Territorial Funds of Mandatory Medical Insurance provides for excluding from the premium accrual base the premium proportion due to the Pension Fund – the payments made in favour of students at educational institutions for student brigade activities included in the federal or regional register of youth and children’s associations enjoying state support.

However, Russian standard legal acts and those of constituent territories of the Russian Federation do not provide for procedures to form regional registers of youth and children’s associations enjoying state support.

The current version of Federal Law No. 98-FZ On State Support for Youth and Children’s Voluntary Associations does not envisage the possibility to define youth and children’s voluntary associations liable for support.

According to the draft law, state support for national and international youth and children’s associations is extended under Federal Law No. 98-FZ, and the issues of state support for interregional, regional and local associations and conducting regional registers of youth and children’s associations enjoying state support are regulated by the law of constituent territories.

In addition, the draft law defines the list of data included in the federal register, the procedure for filing information included in the register, and establishes the duties of bodies of state power of constituent territories to submit to the federal executive body information on youth and children’s associations included in regional registers.

3. Draft federal law On Introducing Changes to the Air Code

The federal law has been submitted by the Ministry of Transport.

Russia is a participant of the Convention on International Civil Aviation, which opened for signing on December 7, 1944 in Chicago.

Under the convention, the signatory states pledge to cooperate to achieve a maximum degree to uniform rules, standards and procedures, such as in controlling aircraft personnel training.

Annex 1 (Personnel Licensing) includes requirements on the rules for licensing aircraft personnel, on the rules for personnel training and simulator preparation, and on the requirements of specialised schools.

The current version of the Air Code does not include these standards.

The draft law provides for introducing these changes in articles 52-55 of the Air Code.

In addition, the draft law provides for the introduction of changes to improve state regulation mechanisms.

For example, it defines more clearly the criteria for establishing aircraft personnel and for introducing the right to training not only at educational institutions but also at educational divisions of enterprises that have undergone mandatory certification under Article 8 of the Air Code.

The changes to Article 54 of the Air Code include the peculiarities of civil aviation pilot training provided by Annex 1.

4. Draft federal law On Introducing Changes to Article 33 of the Law On Education

The draft federal law has been submitted by the Ministry of Education and Science. 

The Federal Law On Introducing Changes in Some Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation due to the Improvement of Controlling and Supervisory Functions and the Optimisation of State Services in Education establishes that an accreditation body invites an expert to conduct expertise during the state accreditation of educational institutions and research organisations. 

However, the federal law does not regulate expert service payments and compensation of expert expenses for such expertise, and the federal law also does not specify the relevant powers of the state body.     

Therefore, the draft law introduces to the Federal Law On Education changes to the effect that expert service payments and compensation for expenses for accreditation expertise are calculated according to the procedures and at the level established by the government.

5. On submitting to the president of the Russian Federation a proposal on denouncing an agreement with the Republic of Kyrgyzstan on a simplified citizenship procedure for citizens of the Russian Federation arriving for permanent residence in the Republic of Kyrgyzstan and for citizens of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan arriving for permanent residence in the Russian Federation, and on the renunciation of previous citizenship

The draft federal law has been submitted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Federal Migration Service 

The Agreement between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kyrgyzstan on a Simplified Procedure for Acquiring Citizenship for Citizens of the Russian Federation Arriving for Permanent Residence in the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, and for Citizens of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan Arriving for Permanent Residence in the Russian Federation, and the Renunciation of Previous Citizenship, which was signed in Moscow on March 28, 1996, establishes an obligation for each side to offer the other side's citizens the right to acquire citizenship on favourable terms when arriving for permanent residence.

The agreement was ratified by Federal Law No. 84-FZ of May 26, 1997, and came into effect on November 9, 1997.

An agreement analysis shows that mostly Kyrgyz citizens benefit from the agreement. These citizens include ethnic Kyrgyz (60%), ethnic Uzbeks (20%) and ethnic Russians (20%).    

An annual increase has been observed in the number of Kyrgyz citizens acquiring Russian citizenship since 2004. Only in the first quarter of 2011, this indicator exceeded 16,000, while 2011 saw an 85% increase compared to the previous year. Since 1997, over 300,000 Kyrgyz citizens have been granted Russian nationality.

In most cases, after acquiring Russian passports, former Kyrgyz citizens do not register as residents in any constituent territory of the Russian Federation. Thus, they fail to fulfil the main condition established by the agreement – relocation for permanent residence. They also evade military and tax registration and thus do not seek to implement their obligations as citizens.  

In addition, this agreement in its basic parameters for the most part copies the contents of a quadripartite agreement on the same issue signed by Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and the Russian Federation on February 26, 1999.

Under these conditions, the agreement's application has lost its urgency for Russia.

Under Article 7, each side can terminate the agreement by issuing a six-month written notice at the end of any five-year period. The next period expires on November 9, 2012.  

Under the Federal Law On International Agreements of the Russian Federation, the decision on the renunciation is due to be adopted as a federal law.

6. On extending budget allocations to the government of the Astrakhan Region to financially support measures to remedy the consequences of a gas explosion in Astrakhan on February 27, 2012

7. On extending budget allocations to the government of the Republic of Dagestan from the Russian State Reserve Fund for Preventing and Remedying the Consequences of Emergency Situations and Natural Disasters and on issuing state housing certificates to remedy the damage caused when law enforcement agencies suppressed a terrorist attack on September 12, 2010 in Makhachkala in the Republic of Dagestan

The draft executive order has been submitted by the Ministry of Civil Defence, Emergencies and Disaster Relief.

In suppressing a terrorist attack on September 12, 2010 in Makhachkala in the Republic of Dagestan, two private homes were completely destroyed, four private homes were damaged, and personal property was damaged.   

According to the assessment made by the government of the Republic of Dagestan, the total material damage is estimated at 13 million roubles (with two state housing certificates extended to citizens who lost their homes).

The draft executive order provides for:

  • Allocating to the government of the Republic of Dagestan in 2012 573,400 roubles, including 150,000 roubles for financial aid to citizens who lost their property (50,000 roubles to each of the three families for partially lost property and 423,400 roubles for urgent reconstruction activities);
  • Instructing the Ministry of Finance to issue to the government of the Republic of Dagestan two state housing certificates for the citizens who lost their homes.

Moscow,
February 29, 2012

* Press releases by the Department of Press Service and Information are based on the materials submitted by the executive federal bodies for discussion by the Government Presidium.