25 august 2008

Background material for the August 25, 2008 Government presidium meeting

The Presidium of the Government of the Russian Federation at its meeting on August 25, 2008, adopted the following decisions on the items on its agenda:

1. Allocation of subsidies to balance out the budgets of the regions in 2008

Choice of the regions to be subsidised was based on the monitoring of the administration of the regions' consolidated budgets during the first six months of 2008.

In connection with the rise in fuel prices, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Regional Development have decided to give financial support to those regions in which fuel oil is the main source of energy for electricity generation facilities and housing and public utilities. With due account of fuel prices and on the basis of the information submitted by the Federal Tariff Service on the increasing costs of regional energy suppliers' fuel balance and its structure, the requirements for additional funds to the aforementioned regions have been established. The Kamchatka Territory, the Primorye Territory, the Arkhangelsk Region and the Murmansk Region have been considered high-risk territories during the peak load period of the autumn and winter of 2008-2009. There is a proposal to grant them the following additional sums: 419.8 million roubles, 474.2 million roubles, 871.6 million roubles, and 1.474,6 million roubles, respectively.

The requirement of the Republic of Ingushetia has also been considered. It will be given an additional 400 million roubles for relocating its citizens residing in the landslide zone of the city of Malgobek and the Malgobek District.

Considering the requests of regional governors, and based on the monitoring of the administration of the regions' consolidated budgets during the first six months of 2008, a proposal was made to allocate 200 million roubles to the Republic of Altai for eliminating the consequences of the earthquake, and 200 million roubles to the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) for rectifying the effects of flooding.

Said proposals were approved by the meeting of the working (trilateral) group on improving intra-budget relations on August 5, 2008.

2. The draft federal law On Introducing Amendments to Article 1 of the Federal Law on Commemorating the Victory of the Soviet People in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, regarding the conditions and venues of military parades on Victory Day, involving arms and military equipment in the city of Moscow, other hero cities, and cities that host the headquarters of military districts, fleets, combined arms armies, and the Caspian Fleet

3. Introducing Amendments to the Provision of the Federal Tariff Service

The proposed amendments are designed to bring the Government-approved Provision on the Federal Tariff Service in line with the Federal Law On Introducing Amendments to a Number of Legislative Acts in Order to Improve the Delimitation of Responsibilities. They will exclude the following responsibilities from the Federal Tariff Service's competence:

- approving tariffs on goods and services of municipal organisations managing the exploitation of the communal water supply systems and the operation of facilities for the dumping of solid domestic waste;
- approving the limits on changes in rent and utility payments in the regions;
- approving a decision of the regional executive authorities to establish limits on changes in rent and utility payments for cities, if they are established beneath or beyond the limits endorsed for a particular region.

In addition, the Federal Tariff Service is authorized to endorse a number of documents presented for decision-making on introducing, changing or stopping the regulation of natural monopoly subsidiaries, and on procedures of reviewing the afore-mentioned documents.

4. Holding an international traffic safety conference in Moscow in 2009 under the auspices of the UN

In 2006, Lord Robertson, Chairman of the Commission for Global Road Safety, suggested holding the first international traffic safety conference to discuss all aspects of this problem and its influence on socio-economic development.

The conference is planned to be conducted in November under the UN auspices. The UN will be represented by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which leads international efforts to ensure road safety. UN Road Safety Collaboration agencies, including regional economic commissions, UNISEF, the World Bank and the European Conference of Transport Ministers may be involved in this work.

The conference will be chaired by a Russian representative. Its secretariat will include Russian organisers and representatives of the UN Secretariat.

Invitations will be sent to representatives of all UN members (192 countries), NGOs and public organisations.

The conference is expected to lay the beginning of a new stage in international cooperation on all aspects of road safety.

August 22, 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.