PRESS RELEASE*

At its meeting on July 14, 2008 the Presidium of the Government of the Russian Federation made the following decisions on the items on its agenda

1.On draft federal laws aimed at reducing administrative restrictions on entrepreneurial activities

The Presidium of the Government of the Russian Federation approved the draft federal laws On Protecting the Rights of Legal Entities and Individual Entrepreneurs During the Course of State and Municipal Control (Supervision), On Introducing Amendments to Some Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation on the Replacement of Licensing with Insurance of Civil Liability, and On Introducing Amendments to Some Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation (to Exclude Extra-Judicial Rights of Internal Affairs Bodies of the Russian Federation Regarding Inspections of the Subjects of Entrepreneurial Activities) taking into account the need to further elaborate the issues of :
-enlarging the list of types of activities that require mere notification and not a permit to get started;
-the procedure of establishing the material terms of mandatory insurance of the liability of business entities whose licensing is no longer required;
-more precise definition of the procedures of documentary audits prior to bringing criminal action.

The above draft federal laws shall be submitted to the State Duma within ten days.

The Meeting approved the draft federal law On Introducing Amendments to Some Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation to Make it Possible to Replace Mandatory Certification with a Declaration of Compliance and decided to introduce it at the State Duma.

2.On introducing amendments to Government Decrees N371 of July 23, 2004 and #398 of July 30, 2004

The Presidium of the Government of the Russian Federation has passed a draft decree on the above issue.

3.On the formation of an organizing committee to prepare and hold an Intergovernmental Economic Conference of the Caspian States

The meeting approved the draft executive order of the Government of the Russian Federation on the above issue.
The Presidium of the Government of the Russian Federation has instructed the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Natural Resources, Rosrybolovstvo, and the Foreign Ministry of Russia to analyze the state of affairs in international economic cooperation of the Russian Federation with the Caspian states, including cooperation projects. The relevant materials are to be submitted to the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia for the purpose of study and preparation of recommendations to the Caspian Summit.

It was decided that the Foreign Ministry of Russia, by agreement with the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia, must invite delegations led by deputy prime ministers of the Caspian states to take part in the Intergovernmental Economic Conference of the Caspian states.

July 16, 2008
Moscow

*Decisions on the items on the agenda are taken with due account of the remarks and proposals made during the meeting of the Government Presidium and are issued as official documents of the Government of the Russian Federation