The following issues are scheduled for discussion at the Government Presidium meeting on August 11, 2008

1. Assistance for victims of the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict

2. The draft of the special federal programme Improving the System for Staffing the Posts of Non-Commissioned Officers and Privates with Contract Servicemen and Affecting the Transition to Staffing the Posts of Non-Commissioned (Petty) Officers in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Other Troops, Army Units and Bodies, and Navy Seamen, with Contract Servicemen (2009-2015)

This draft Government resolution was prepared in accordance with Government Decision No. 1016-r of July 15, 2008, which approved the concept of the special federal programme Improving the System for Staffing the Posts of Non-Commissioned Officers and Privates with Contract Servicemen, and Affecting the Transition to Staffing the Posts of Non-Commissioned (Petty) Officers in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Other Troops, Army Units and Bodies, and Navy Seamen, with Contract Servicemen (2009-2015) (hereafter the Programme).

The Programme:

• establishes marginal levels of financing from the federal budget amounting to 243 437.64 million roubles and constituting state capital investment (243 437.64 million roubles);

• designates the Defence Ministry as state coordinator of the Programme, and the Defence Ministry, Federal Security Service, Foreign Intelligence Service, Federal Guard Service, Directorial Board for the Special Programmes of the President, and Special Construction Agency as state customers of the Programme .

The Programme is planned to be implemented within seven years, from 2009 through 2015.

The existing and to-be-built social infrastructure is to be brought in line with standard requirements set for the accommodation of servicemen, including in formations and units that have gone on contract service. At the same time, engineering infrastructure is to be developed to ensure the functioning of existing and commissioned facilities.

3. The draft subprogramme Development of Football in the Russian Federation from 2008 to 2015 as part of the special federal programme Development of Physical Fitness and Sports in the Russian Federation from 2006 to 2015

By Executive Order No. 563-r of April 25, 2008, the Government approved the concept of the subprogramme Development of Football in the Russian Federation from 2008 to 2015 of the special federal programme Development of Physical Fitness and Sports in the Russian Federation from 2006 to 2015.

The subprogramme Development of Football in the Russian Federation from 2008 to 2015 (hereafter the subprogramme) aims to create conditions for healthy living by involving the younger generation in regular football playing, and also to increase the competitiveness of Russian football at the international level.

The subprogramme will last eight years.

The subprogramme is to be financed from the federal budget, regional budgets, and off-budget sources.

Subprogramme measures scheduled for 2008 will be financed by regional budgets and off-budget sources.

Beginning in 2009, the subprogramme will be financed from the federal budget, regional budgets, and off-budget sources.

The subprogramme's volume of financing from 2008 to 2015 will be 19 126.8 million roubles, expressed in prices of corresponding years, of which the federal budget will contribute 10 575.3 million rubles, or 55.3%; regional budgets, 7 313.4 million rubles, or 38.2% (amounts are to be specified under agreements between the state coordinator of the subprogramme and higher executive bodies of state authority in the regions); and off-budget sources, 1 238.1 million rubles, or 6.5% (amounts are to be specified by agreements with potential investors).

Subprogramme sums allocated for specific purposes were set within the limits previously approved by Government Decision No. 563-r of April 25, 2008.

These changes were necessitated by shifting 4 685,5 million roubles allocated from the federal budget under the heading of capital investment to the heading of "other needs" so they could be used to make centralised purchases of artificial football turf complete with accessory materials to build and equip 470 football pitches with artificial covering for the sports schools concerned.

This project will provide these schools with high-quality, European-standard turf and improve the level of training. The measure will also make for more rational use of federal budget funds.

The subprogramme measures will: increase the number of regular football players; create conditions for involving children and young people in the regular pursuit of physical fitness and sports activities; popularise healthy living; and raise the standing of Russian sports in the world.

4. The draft federal law On Amending Some Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation In Connection With the Adoption of the Federal Law On State Civil Service in the Russian Federation

Federal Law No. 79-FZ of July 27, 2004 On State Civil Service in the Russian Federation (hereafter the Law on Civil Service) came into effect on February 1, 2005. At the same time, Federal Law No. 119-FZ of July 31, 1995 On the Fundamentals of State Service in the Russian Federation, as well as legislative acts on amendments to it, was invalidated.

The necessity for drafting the federal law On Amending Some Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation In Connection with the Adoption of the Federal Law On State Civil Service in the Russian Federation (hereafter the draft law) arose from the norms of Federal Law No. 58-FZ of May 27, 2003 On the System of State Service in the Russian Federation (hereafter the Law on the System of State Service), which set up the state civil service as a separate branch of state service in the Russian Federation. Changes to some legislative acts of the Russian Federation are being made in compliance with Article 74 of the Law on Civil Service.

The main goals of the draft are:

• to bring acts of federal legislation regulating state service relations in line with the Law on Civil Service and the Law on the System of State Service;

• to eliminate gaps and conflicts in existing federal legislation on state civil service;

• to create a consistent and non-conflicting legislative base for state civil service in the Russian Federation and reinforce the legality of its functioning;

• to harmonise the legislation on state civil service of the Russian Federation and that of the regions of the Russian Federation.

The provisions contained in the Law on the System of State Service and the Law on Civil Service giving the definitions of such notions as "state civil service", "civil service job", and "state civil employee", and describing the spheres of application of legislation on state civil service are conceptual for the draft. Prior to the adoption of said federal laws, the legislation of the Russian Federation did not use the terminology connected with civil service, though some legislative acts deal with state service and state employees in the context of civil service, and thus appropriate changes are required

A number of federal laws define the specifics of state service in various state bodies, and therefore require a more detailed definition of the status of state employees following the adoption of the Law on the System of State Service and the Law on Civil Service. In addition, some legislative acts of the Russian Federation include selected rights and guarantees of state employees. Therefore, it is necessary to update these regulatory frameworks and extend the rights and guarantees to all state civil employees.

The draft will help remove existing gaps and contradictions in the current federal legislation on state service.

This draft law consists of eight articles.

The draft derives its contents from the existing system of organisation and functioning of state civil service in various state bodies and from its new legislative regulation.

Based on this, the draft law proposes the following basic kinds of change:

• exclusion of the provisions contradicting the norms of the Law on Civil Service from legislative acts;

• revision of the norms regulating the activity of state civil employees in various state bodies according to one of the following options:

consolidating the status of civil employees in state bodies where state civil service is prevalent;
specifying state civil service for selected categories of staff in state bodies where other types of state service dominate; defining state civil service as a type of state service for employees in federal state bodies where state service exists in practice, but is not legislatively institutionalised;

• extension of selected rights and guarantees to state civil employees as defined in legislative acts for state employees;

• voidance of provisions and norms established in accordance with Federal Law No. 119-FZ of July 31, 1995 On the Fundamentals of State Service in the Russian Federation;

• replacement in necessary cases of the terms "state service", "state employee", etc., with the terms "state civil service", "state civil employee", etc.;

• linguistic, terminological and/or juridical-technical editing.

The adoption and implementation of the draft law will neither entail extra costs from the federal budget nor require amendments to other legislative acts of the Russian Federation.

5. The signing of an Agreement between the Russian Government and the Eurasian Development Bank on the Hosting Conditions in Russia

The Eurasian Development Bank (hereafter the Bank) was set up on the initiative of Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan under the Agreement On the Founding of a Eurasian Development Bank of January 12, 2006 (hereafter the Founding Agreement). The Bank is designed to promote the market economies of the Bank's participating countries, their economic growth, and the expansion of trade and economic ties between them through investment and consultancy activities.

The Bank is an international entity, possesses international legal capacity, and has the right to conclude international treaties within the limits of its competence.

The Founding Agreement came into effect on June 15, 2006, following its ratification by the parliaments of both signatory countries. The Charter of the Bank is part and parcel of the Founding Agreement. As specified in the Charter, the Bank's activities on the territories of the Bank's participating countries are defined by applicable international treaties, the Founding Agreement, the Charter, agreements concluded by the Bank with the governments of the Bank's participating countries on the conditions of the Bank's stay on their territories, and also with the central banks and other authorised bodies of the Bank's participating countries, and in the event of their absence or, in the part not regulated by the above documents, by the legislation of the Bank's participating countries on whose territories such activity is practiced.

Agreements concluded by the Bank with the governments of countries signatory to the Agreement On Hosting Conditions are designed to regulate the Bank's relationships with official bodies of the participating countries.

The Agreement On Hosting Conditions will allow the Bank to start investment and consultancy activities in the Russian Federation in pursuit of the aims and objectives stipulated by the Founding Agreement and statutory documents.

The Draft Agreement On Hosting Conditions provides for the creation of conditions assisting the effective functioning of the Bank and its subsidiaries and representative offices on Russian territory. In particular, the Draft Agreement defines the Bank's legal status, assigns its rights, and lays down privileges and immunities for the Bank's officials and staff.

The provisions contained in the Draft Agreement On Hosting Conditions in Russia largely correspond to the provisions of the Agreement signed between the Bank and the Government of Kazakhstan On the Bank's Hosting Conditions in Kazakhstan.

In accordance with subparagraph (a) of paragraph (1) of Article 15 of the Federal Law On International Treaties of the Russian Federation, the Agreement must be ratified after signing.

Under Article 17, the Agreement will be temporarily implemented from its date of signing.

Implementation of the Agreement will entail no extra costs for the federal budget.

6. Amending some acts of the Government concerning the activity of the Ministry of Education and Science

The draft resolution makes changes in:

• Government Resolution No. 158 of April 6, 2004 On the Ministry of Education and Science, by increasing the Ministry's personnel by 50 positions (currently, the staffing levels of the Ministry, as set by Government Resolution No. 158, consist of 380 employees); by increasing the number of deputy ministers from 4 to 5; by establishing seven departments concerned with the Ministry's main spheres of activity within its framework;

• the Statute on the Ministry of Education and Science, as approved by Government Resolution No. 280 of June 15, 2004, by creating additional powers for the Ministry to develop nanotechnologies and establish a network of federal universities.

The changes being made to the Statute, as approved by Government Resolution No. 280, give the Ministry the responsibility of drafting state policy and implementing legal regulation in the sphere of nanotechnologies.

To fulfill this responsibility, the Ministry will have the following powers:

• to coordinate research and development in the sphere of nanotechnologies; set development priorities for nanotechnologies and nanomaterials; provide resources for inter-branch collaboration in nanotechnologies; spread responsibility for research and development in the sphere of nanotechnologies and nanomaterials; organise large-scale fundamental research in sciences crucial to progress in nanotechnologies and nanomaterials; give long-term state support to applied research to help commercialise findings and discoveries; set up an inter-branch independent expert board with a mandate in the sphere of nanotechnologies;

• to form a nation-wide nanotechnological network; coordinate the efforts of federal executive bodies and organisations to speed up the establishment of a national nanotechnological network in Russia; coordinate and improve the transfer procedures for nanotechnologies and nanomaterials; improve the protection mechanism for intellectual property used commercially in the sphere of nanotechnologies; make an inventory of the scientific, technical, technological, and production facilities available in Russia in the sphere of nanotechnologies and nanomaterials; promote mutually beneficial international cooperation in the sphere of nanoindustry; encourage Russia's membership in the European Commission and Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development bodies concerned with nanotechnology development; develop and institutionalise mechanisms whereby organisations of the national nanotechnological network can use nanoindustry infrastructure; develop integration mechanisms for science and education; form a nationally integrated science-based educational system in the sphere of nanotechnologies;

• form a nation-wide information analysis system in the sphere of nanotechnologies; organise exchanges of research and development results to make nanoindustry technologies commercially available; circulate the results obtained across industries to stimulate demand for nanoindustry products; inform federal executive bodies and organisations of areas, partners, and findings concerned with international scientific and technological cooperation in the sphere of nanotechnologies and nanomaterials; prepare an annual report to the Government on progress in the implementation of the Program for the Development of Nanoindustry in Russia Through 2015; inform the general public of achievements in the sphere of nanotechnologies and popularise these achievements;

• develop instruments, tools, and technologies and provide information; coordinate efforts to establish and develop scientific, technical, and technological facilities in the Russian Federation in the sphere of nanotechologies and nanomaterials; establish and develop a research infrastructure in the sphere of nanotechnologies and nanomaterials; create a database on shared equipment centres to promote nanotechnologies that lists measuring, technological, and analytical equipment available in national nanotechnological network organisations; monitor Russia's scientific, technological, and production potential, the effect of nanotechnologies on high-technology sectors of the economy, and on availability of qualified nanotechnology personnel; make scientific and technological forecasts in the sphere of nanotechnologies and nanomaterials; determine Russia's place on the world market of nanoindustry products.

In addition, in order to provide qualified personnel for the sphere of nanotechnologies and bring paragraph 5.2.8 in line with the Law of the Russian Federation On Education (as modified by Federal Law No. 309-FZ of December 1, 2007 On Amendments to Some Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation in the Part Concerned with Changing the Notion and Structure of the State Educational Standard), the Ministry will be vested with the responsibility of adopting federal state educational standards, including on training personnel for the sphere of nanotechnologies, federal state requirements to the structure of the basic professional educational programme for post-tertiary education (not including doctoral courses), to the structure of the basic general educational programme of pre-school education and conditions of its implementation, to the minimum additional professional educational programme, and to the level of professional retraining.

The Statute on the Ministry of Education and Science, approved by Government Resolution No. 280 of June 15, 2004, also deals in part with the establishment of a network of federal universities.

August 9, 2008
Moscow

Press releases by the Department of Press Service and Information contain the materials submitted by the executive federal bodies for discussion by the Presidium of the Government of the Russian Federation.