PRESS RELEASE*
The following issues are scheduled for discussion at the government meeting on August 16, 2012:
1. Results of performance evaluation of the regional executive bodies in 2011
A comprehensive performance evaluation of the regional executive bodies in 2011 has resulted in the creation of a ranking of the regions.
The draft government resolution includes provision for the allocation of grants to the 10 best performing regional executive bodies in 2011.
2. Distribution of federal subsidies to the region in 2012 for the implementation of regional targeted housing construction programmes as part of the Promotion of Regional Housing Construction sub-programme under the federal targeted Housing programme for 2011 - 2015
The draft resolution approves the distribution of the federal funds allocated for these purposes in 2012 between the 26 Russian regions whose applications have been selected by the competition commission, which was created by the Ministry of Regional Development, which is the government agency overseeing the implementation of the sub-programme.
3. Draft federal targeted programme Protection of Lake Baikal and the Socioeconomic Development of the Baikal Nature Area for 2012 - 2020
The programme has been worked out in accordance with the Federal Law On the Protection of Lake Baikal.
The main objective of the programme is to protect Lake Baikal and the Baikal nature area from the negative effects of man-made and natural factors.
The programme will be implemented between 2012 and 2020 and will cover three regions (Buryatia, the Irkutsk Region and the Trans-Baikal Territory).
4. Establishing a system for disclosing information on draft laws and regulations and the results of their public hearings
In accordance with Presidential Decree No. 601 of May 7, 2012 On the Main Directions for Improving the System of Governance, the Government is to establish a system for disclosing information on draft laws and regulations and the results of their public hearings.
The draft resolution will approve the Rules for Information Disclosure by Federal Executive Agencies on the Development of Draft Regulations and the Results of their Public Hearings.
The rules regulate issues related to identifying the range of laws and regulations whose drafts will be subject to information disclosure; the procedure for reducing the duration of public hearings; its stages; and the procedure for processing the submitted proposals.
The establishment of a procedure for public hearings for laws and regulations will create additional mechanisms for citizens to participate in public affairs and contribute to the fulfillment of the right to free access to information on the activities of federal executive bodies.
5. Draft federal law On Introducing Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation due to the Extension of the List of Elected Municipal Positions
The bill proposes to elect the head of a municipality solely by direct municipal elections, thereby ruling out the possibility of them being elected by the representative body of the municipality from among its members.
6. Draft federal law On Introducing Amendments to the Federal Law On the Archives in the Russian Federation
The Federal Law On the Archives in the Russian Federation stipulates that the authority of the Russian Federation in the field of archives includes, inter alia, the storage, acquisition, registration and use of archival documents and archives of the State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom.
The draft law proposes to extend these powers to handling the archival documents of other state corporations.
7. Draft federal law On Introducing Amendments to Article 32.4 of the Administrative Offences Code of the Russian Federation
The draft law introduces amendments empowering customs authorities that have, as part of proceedings for an administrative offence, confiscated an item used to commit or being a subject of the administrative offense, which is punishable under Chapter 16 of the Administrative Offences Code, to transfer it directly to the Federal Agency for State Property Management in order to make it state property.
8. Draft federal law On Introducing Amendments to Article 19.12 of the Administrative Offences Code of the Russian Federation
The draft law proposes to increase the liability for the transfer or attempted transfer of prohibited substances and items to individuals held behind bars, establishing an administrative fine for this offense of between 3,000 and 5,000 roubles. At present, Article 19.12 of the Administrative Code stipulates liability in the form of an administrative fine of between 1,000 and 1,500 roubles together with confiscation of the prohibited items, substances, or food.
9. Draft federal law On Introducing Amendments to the Federal Law On the Circulation of Medicines
The bill proposes to amend the Federal Law On the Circulation of Medicines by stipulating in the legislation standards for the registration of brands and quantities of medicines containing narcotic or psychotropic substances. This registration should be done by the manufacturers, wholesale and retail medicine traders, medical organisations, and individual entrepreneurs licensed to work in the field of pharmaceutics and/or medicine.
The bill is aimed at preventing non-medical use of medicines by drug and psychotropic substance abusers through the establishment of a special procedure for the sale and registration of these medicines.
10. Draft federal law On Ratification of the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of Ukraine on Cooperation in Joint Control of Individuals, Vehicles, and Goods at the Russian-Ukrainian State Border
The draft law makes provision for the ratification of the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of Ukraine on Cooperation in Joint Control of Individuals, Vehicles, and Goods at the Russian-Ukrainian State Border, signed on October 18, 2011 in Donetsk.
The agreement aims to improve the effectiveness of the border check points, reduce the time needed for the border crossing procedure, simplify the control requirements, and make it more comfortable for individuals, vehicles, and goods to cross the state border.
11. Draft federal law On Ratification of the Protocol on Amending the Agreement on the Rules for Determining the Country of Origin of Goods in the Commonwealth of Independent States of November 20, 2009
The Protocol amending the Agreement was signed on October 18, 2011 in St. Petersburg and makes provision for changing the List of conditions and manufacturing and technological operations, under which the goods are considered to originate from the country in which they took place.
12. Signing of the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Republic of Serbia on Natural Gas Supplies from the Russian Federation to the Republic of Serbia and the Protocol to it
The documents are aimed at consolidating the comprehensive (packet) agreements between the parties to continue gas supplies from the Russian Federation to the Republic of Serbia from 2012 until 2021 in the amount of up to five billion cubic metres per year, provided that Serbia repays its debt of $30 million for the gas supplied between November 2000 and January 2001 under the 1995 Agreement on Gas Supplies.
13. Implementation of the Agreement between the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation and the European University Institute in Florence of March 22, 2012
In order to implement the Agreement between the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation and the European University Institute in Florence, the draft government resolution proposes financing from the federal budget the education of Russian citizens at this university in 2012-2019.
Moscow,
August 15, 2012
* Press releases by the Department of Press Service and Information are based on materials submitted by the executive federal bodies for discussion at the meeting of the Government of the Russian Federation.