The Government of the Russian Federation at its meeting on April 9, 2009 adopted the following decisions on the items on its agenda.
1. The 2009 draft anti-crisis programme of the Government of the Russian Federation.
1) The Government approved most of the provisions of its draft anti-crisis programme for the 2009 period.
2) The Ministry of Economic Development and the concerned federal executive-power agencies were instructed to re-examine the Government's 2009 draft anti-crisis programme and to submit it to the Government over a two-day period. The Government will then submit the document to the State Duma.
3) The Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Russia were instructed to submit information on loan rates of credit institutions where authorised Bank of Russia representatives were appointed to the Government over a seven-day period.
The Ministry of Economic Development was instructed to submit information on the interest of loans being issued to strategic companies to the Government over a seven-day period.
4) The Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Russia were instructed to examine additional measures to create incentives for issuing loans to domestic industries and to submit the relevant proposals to the Government over a seven-day period.
5) The Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Finance, the Transport Ministry and the Bank of Russia were instructed to examine the possibility of insuring investors' currency risks during the implementation of infrastructure projects to build motor roads under concession agreements, with due account taken of the latest discussion, and to report their findings to the Government.
2. Implementing measures to improve the financial sector and specific economic sectors
1) The heads of federal executive-power agencies were instructed to implement comprehensive measures to ensure the unfailing and timely implementation of the afore-mentioned measures in the following spheres:
* providing orders to small and medium businesses during the awarding of state contracts and goods-and-service purchases by natural monopolies and state corporations;
* regulating the relevant procedures for purchasing goods and services by natural monopolies and state corporations and stipulating privileges for Russian goods suppliers;
* streamlining the machinery for rendering state support to banks and linking the volume of such support with the volume and structure of bank loans being issued for domestic industries;
* facilitating non-discriminatory access of fuel companies and airlines to airport refuelling facilities;
* allowing airlines to defer customs-duty payments with regard to imported foreign aircraft and components, including engines, by six months and exempting them from collateral during payment;
* exempting them from import duties and value-added tax payments during the importation of aircraft seating up to 50 passengers and their engines into the Russian Federation.
The Ministry of Economic Development was instructed to consider the results of specific measures while preparing materials for an upcoming Government meeting on the issue.
2) The Federal Anti-Monopoly Service, the Ministry of Economic Development, the Transport Ministry, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Communications and Mass Media, the Ministry of Finance and the Federal Tariff Service, as well as the concerned federal executive-power agencies, were instructed to submit a draft federal law regulating the purchase of goods, works and services by natural monopolies and state corporations and stipulating privileges for Russian goods suppliers to the Government over a two-week period in line with the established procedure.
3. Draft investment programmes of power-industry companies for 2009 and the 2010-2011 planning period
1) The Government believes that the power industry's investment programme for 2009 is formulated in line with the need to facilitate reliable and uninterrupted power supply for the economy and the population and matches the decisions stipulated by the modified national socio-economic development forecast for 2009.
2) The Government mostly approved the lists of high-priority power-industry companies being financed in 2009, including extra-targeted investment allocations, namely, federal-budget funding, proceeds derived from the sale of shares previously owned by utilities giant Unified Energy Systems, the Federal Grid Company of Unified Energy Systems, the System Operator of Russia's Power Grid, RusHydro Co., Eastern Energy Systems, MRSK (Inter-Regional Distribution Grid Company) Holding Inc., Wholesale Generating Company 1, transnational electricity company INTER RAO UES and the Energoatom concern.
3) The Government noted failure to fulfil its instructions on amending the federal budget regarding the financing of power-generation projects for the 2012 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Vladivostok.
4) The Ministry of Regional Development, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of Energy were instructed to provide additional funding worth 1.903 billion roubles for power-generation projects for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Vladivostok. This should be accomplished by redistributing federal-budget allocations under the federal target programme Economic and Social Development of Russia's Far East and the Trans-Baikal Area Until 2013 and contributing them to the statutory capital of Eastern Energy Systems.
5) The Ministry of Regional Development, the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Finance were instructed to examine the issue of providing additional funding for the construction of the Ussuri thermal power plant and the power-generating facility of the Eastern Siberia-Pacific Ocean pipeline out of the federal budget under the federal target programme Economic and Social Development of Russia's Far East and the Trans-Baikal Area Until 2013.
6) The Federal Tariff Service and tariff-regulating executive-power agencies of the Russian Federation's constituent entities were instructed to accomplish the following objectives:
* to stipulate expenses for connecting Baltic Pipeline System 2 (BTS-2) facilities to MRSK Holding networks in the tariff of transport monopoly Transneft for 2009 and subsequent years;
* to include 2009 expenses for connecting small and medium businesses in the tariffs of subsidiary MRSK Holding Inc. for 2010 and subsequent years and planned 2010 losses.
7) The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Energy were instructed to provide 16 billion roubles' worth of state loan guarantees to MRSK Holding Inc. for financing the connection of small and medium businesses in 2009.
8) The Government advised Vnesheconombank to examine the issue of spending up to 21.278 million roubles for the planned construction of the Urengoi state regional power plant in 2009-2011. This can be done by contributing the allocations to the statutory capital of INTER RAO UES, with due account taken of previously adopted decisions.
9) The Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Regional Development and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment were instructed to submit proposals to facilitate the implementation of previously adopted decisions regarding construction of the Boguchany hydroelectric power plant and the Gotsatl hydroelectric power plant.
10) The Ministry of Energy was instructed to take the required action to monitor the implementation of specific investment programmes and to report its findings to the Government by March 1, 2010.
11) The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Ministry of
Energy were instructed to provide resources for Gazprom's Sakhalin - Khabarovsk - Vladivostok transport system for ensuring reliable gas supplies to territories of the Far Eastern Federal District and to report the results to the Government over a three-day period.
Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin was instructed to facilitate the coordination of such work.
12) The Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Economic Development and other concerned federal executive-power agencies and companies were instructed to analyse the fulfilment of specific obligations by thermal generating companies as regards construction of generating facilities stipulated by agreements to transmit power to wholesale electricity markets and the relevant shareholders agreements, keeping in mind the unacceptability of misusing investment assets.
The concerned parties will report their findings to the Government. Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin will facilitate the coordination of such work.
13) The Government deems it appropriate to empower the Ministry of Energy to exercise control in investment activity and the energy industry.
The Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Economic Development were instructed to prepare the relevant proposals and to submit them to the Government in line with the established procedure.
4. The guidelines of streamlining state regulation of trade activity and the development of trade in the Russian Federation in 2009
1) The Government approved specific measures to streamline state regulation in the sphere of trade with a view to expanding trade activity and formulating an effective national trade policy in 2009.
2) The Ministry of Trade, the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Healthcare and Social Development, the Ministry of Communications and Mass Media, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Federal Anti-Monopoly Service and the concerned federal executive-power agencies of the Russian Federation's constituent entities were instructed to facilitate the implementation of the above-mentioned measures, with due account taken of fulfilling previous Government orders on facilitating the sustained operation of the trade sector and to prioritise the following objectives:
* creating mechanisms to curb staple goods price hikes;
* facilitating the well-balanced development of various forms of retail trade, primarily agricultural produce trade;
* expanding the wholesale trade infrastructure;
* creating competition incentives in the trade sector, stepping up control over violations of anti-monopoly legislation in the work of trade companies;
* drafting and implementing updated requirements regarding the infrastructure of trade companies, as well as professional requirements concerning trade sector personnel;
* dividing the powers of federal executive-power agencies of the Russian Federation and local governments and better coordinating activity in the development of the trade sector.
The concerned parties will report the results to the Government in the fourth quarter of 2009.
5. The draft federal law On Amending Article 236.7 and Excluding Article 246.9 from the Russian Federation's Criminal Procedure Code
The Government approved the draft federal law Amending Article 236.7 and Excluding Article 246.9 of the Russian Federation's Criminal Procedure Code and decided to submit it to the State Duma in line with the established procedure.
6. The draft federal law Amending Article 13 of the Federal Law On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation
The Government approved the draft federal law Amending Article 13 of the Federal Law On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation and decided to submit it to the State Duma in line with the established procedure.
7. The draft federal law On Ratifying the Agreement Between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth of Independent States on the Terms of the Stay of the Office of the CIS Executive Committee on the Territory of the Russian Federation and the Protocol on Amending the July 4, 2001 Agreement Between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth of Independent States on the Terms of the Stay of the Office of the CIS Executive Committee on the Territory of the Russian Federation
The Government approved the draft federal law On Ratifying the Agreement Between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth of Independent States on the Terms of the Stay of the Office of the CIS Executive Committee on the Territory of the Russian Federation and the Protocol on Amending the July 4, 2001 Agreement Between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth of Independent States on the Terms of the Stay of the Office of the CIS Executive Committee on the Territory of the Russian Federation and decided to submit it to the State Duma in line with the established procedure.
8. Changing the line-up of the Presidium of the Government of the Russian Federation
The Government approved a draft executive order on this issue.
Moscow
April 16, 2009
* Decisions on the items on the agenda are made with due account of the remarks and proposals expressed at the Government meeting and are issued as official documents of the Government.