Republican Plan of Events for the Year of Entrepreneurship Approved in Belarus

12 March, Minsk /Olga Belyavskaya - BELTA/. The Republican Plan of Measures for holding the Year of Entrepreneurship in 2011 has been approved in Belarus. The relevant decision is contained in the Resolution of the Council of Ministers No. 266, BELTA was informed by the press service of the government. The plan of measures includes 37 items, including the implementation of the provisions of Directive No. 4; improvement of legal regulation of investment and other entrepreneurial activities in terms of protecting the rights of investors, bona fide acquirers; expansion of the network of small business incubators created on the basis of state organizations with unused production areas; development of the sphere of application of voluntary certification of products, works, services, management systems upon applications of legal entities and individual entrepreneurs to increase their competitiveness. The plan also provides for the expansion of the introduction of electronic document flow, the adoption of measures aimed at preventing red tape, bureaucracy and corruption in the work of state bodies and organizations, regional executive committees and the Minsk City Executive Committee. Throughout the year, research in the field of personnel management will be organized, and methods for evaluating the effectiveness and managing improvements in organizations, taking into account aspects of entrepreneurship, business activity and initiative, will be developed and implemented. Measures will be taken to form an atmosphere of healthy competition and favorable conditions for the introduction of new technologies in all spheres. Ministries and departments will form an in-demand list of import-substituting products, which will be published in the media to attract business entities for development and implementation. It is also planned to prepare a draft decree of the President of Belarus approving the provisions on additional material incentives for the work of managers, as well as a decree establishing the Entrepreneur's Day. In addition, it is planned to make additions to the sample list of labor and social guarantees recommended for inclusion in collective agreements, other local regulatory legal acts of organizations, and contracts to retain highly qualified employees in organizations. The plan also provides for an increase in the amount of funds allocated for financial support of unemployed citizens organizing entrepreneurial activities related to the implementation and introduction of scientific research and development.

According to the approved plan, institutions providing higher education, subordinate to the Ministry of Education, shall attract at least 40% of the total funds allocated for scientific research and development from extra-budgetary sources of funding. During the year, Belarus will host the national competition of youth innovative projects in high technologies "Belarus Start-Up", review competitions for the best rationalization proposals and inventions, and the republican festival-competition in economics and entrepreneurship among students of institutions providing secondary vocational, vocational-technical, and general secondary education, "Ladder of Success".

As reported to BELTA by the Ministry of Economy, commenting on the resolution, the republican plan of measures for the Year of Entrepreneurship is a set of regulatory, economic, ideological-educational, and organizational measures, the implementation of which will allow finding new sources of economic growth and improving welfare through the development of human intellectual and creative potential, the search for new ideas, technologies, and innovations, overcoming the psychology of social inertia, unlocking the skills of managers to make risky, but well-founded and promising decisions, and fostering a creative and energetic generation of young managers and scientists.

The achievement of these results is expected to be carried out through the liberalization of public administration, the elimination of excessive administrative barriers, the development of competition, the transition to an innovative development path, and the search for and accelerated implementation of technological changes through the interaction of science and production. The level of education of managers, specialists of management bodies and organizations, youth, and schoolchildren will be raised with an emphasis on the development of entrepreneurship, business activity, and initiative.

"To avoid duplication of measures taken to improve the conditions for economic activity, create a favorable business and investment climate, and develop competition, the draft action plan was prepared in conjunction with the action plans for the implementation of the provisions of Directive No. 4 and the joint action plan of the government and the National Bank for the fulfillment of the forecast parameters, budget, and main directions of monetary policy of Belarus for 2011," the Ministry of Economy reported. Financing of the approved plan will be carried out at the expense of funds provided for in the republican and local budgets for 2011, own funds of organizations, and other sources. -0-

BELTA