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VLADIMIR PUTIN: Good afternoon dear colleagues!
During today’s session we are going to examine the agenda for 2007 and also
talk about the implementation of national projects in a three-year and longer-term
perspective.
In the first instance we will address the long-term tasks of demographic
policy. These tasks are essentially new and require not only difficult calculations
and forecasts but also systematic work by all levels of authority for a number
of years to come. We must also think about and establish an essentially new
way to stimulate the birth rate. We must provide women who give birth to more
than one child with a so-called maternity capital. And if we now develop the
financial, legal and methodological basis of this mechanism than, from the
very beginning, we must make it as functional and as simple as possible. And,
what is most important, we must make it clear to people. We also need to effectively
implement other elements of demographic policy. First and foremost I am referring
to strengthening families and the position of mothers within families. Then
there are additional measures with regard to lowering the death rate. And certainly
a number of these measures are related to preventing premature deaths in extreme
situations and tragic accidents.
At our Council’s session today we must pay separate attention to the ‘Accessible
Housing’ project. It is already clear today that its successful implementation
is being hindered by layers of difficult and chronic problems, and each of
these problems can constitute a separate subject of discussion. I am referring
to administrative barriers, conditions that inhibit growth, and a monopolised
housing market in certain regions as well as the insufficient development of
the construction industry and other related industries.
At the same time we need to implement a number of instruments to ensure
the real development of the mortgage market. And we need to do this along with
increasing the quality of buildings and developing the transport and social
infrastructure in new neighbourhoods.
Of course merely administrative measures are insufficient to resolve such
a large number of varied problems. We must develop and supplement Russia’s
financial legislation as well as use tax, financial and credit incentives.
This is a whole lot of work. And here there are internal tasks that face the
regions and municipalities. They need to make their legislation correspond
with the new requirements of land, housing and town-planning legislation, substantially
increase the number of plots of land sold by auctions for construction, and
speed up the process of making plans for new housing settlements.
And where local authorities are working actively rather than sitting on
the sidelines we are seeing good results. And I think we should also talk about
this today.
I expect to discuss one more aspect of the housing project, namely achieving
its target figures for the sixth and seventh years, the most important of which
is increasing the amount of accessible housing.
Statistical data for eight months of 2006 shows that the amount of new housing
increased by 20,8 million square metres. This is almost 11 percent higher than
last year’s level. The amount of mortgage credits also exceeds all predictions.
Still, we all of course understand that this task is not accomplished merely
by providing a certain number of square meters of housing or giving a certain
amount of roubles as credit.
I shall remind you that already this year the percentage of families who
have the opportunity to obtain housing that is presently under construction
should increase to 14 percent. And to 17 percent in 2007. This represents a
serious target within the project. We must understand whether enough has been
done to ensure that these figures can be realized. I expect that we shall hear
the answers to these questions in the Minister of Regional Development’s speech.
Now, the national project to develop agriculture is first and foremost designed
to increase farmers’ incomes. It is important that they receive a worthy wage
for their work. It is important that we have enough agricultural products of
Russian origin. But we can hardly achieve any successes if agricultural products
are going to be ruthlessly gathered up by a different kind of intermediary.
I am not even talking about the systematic problems that we both know well
such as price disparity, problems linked to energy products and so on.
These intermediaries, these actors, act like racketeers
and, as a matter of fact, force farmers to hand over their products for nothing.
What happens sometimes in trade markets can be defined by a single word: an
outrage. People that bring their products to the market as well as the market
administration itself and law-enforcement agencies play a secondary role in
this. Criminal groups play a major role in markets. And all of this results
in our citizens being rightly indignant.
I would like to draw your attention to the fact that there are many problems
here connected with the situations we have recently been confronted with. We
cannot overlook the recent tragic events. We cannot, and I am not only referring
to Kondopoga. What happened in Moscow? What happened in other regions? There
were attacks on foreigners, and also our citizens were attacked and killed.
And this is in part due to the fact that the government, regional and municipal
authorities have not been able to regulate this sphere of activity until now.
Endemic corruption in the power bodies and in the law-enforcement agencies.
And of course citizens are not pleased.
I understand that not all legislative measures are in place to resolve these
problems, but I am convinced that according to the current legislation of the
Russian government, the regional and local authorities and the numerous supervising
agencies working together can and are obliged to take the appropriate measures.
I charge the Russian government to take immediate decisions with respect to
regulating trade in the wholesale and retail market-places and regulating the
presence of foreign workers in these markets including by making the market-place
management amenable to law for the infringement of migratory rules both by
those working in the market-place and those involved in trade. And to
make the visa regime applicable to foreign citizens that infringe Russian legislation
stricter.
I charge the heads of the regions of the Russian Federation to take additional
measures to improve trade in the wholesale and retail markets with a view to
protect the interests of Russian producers and population, the native Russian
population.
As you can see, the agenda is extensive. In addition, at the last Council
session we agreed that today we shall determine in which territories we shall
construct new centres for medical technology in 2007. But in view of the density
of today’s session I suggest that we transfer this issue to the Presidium. |
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