Moscow, March 14, 2008 – Today the International Trade Center hosted a conference sponsored by the MOEDT of Russia titled “2007 Administrative Reform Efforts in Review. Outline of the Work Agenda for 2008, featuring heads of federal ministries, services, agencies, as well as heads of regional governments of the Russian Federation. The conference was co-sponsored by the World Bank.
Among the speakers at the Plenary Session were A.V. Popova, State Secretary, Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade of the Russian Federation, A.V. Sharaov, Director of Department of Government Regulation in the Economy, and M.V. Parshin, Deputy Director of Department of Government Regulation in the Economy, as well as Klaus Rohland, World Bank Country Director and Resident Representative in Russia.
The main thrust of the administrative reform in 2008-2010 is to improve the quality and affordability of public services by implementing a “one-stop shop” principle. In 2006 and 2007 in the context of efforts carried out by the Government Commission on Administrative Reform (chaired by Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation and Chief of Government Staff S.E. Naryshkin), some 200 administrative regulations were designed and implemented covering most publicly demanded and significant public functions and services (such as issuance of permits, licenses, conducing audits, issuance of receipts, etc).
Addressing the conference, A.V. Popova, State Secretary, Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade of the Russian Federation, noted that the progress in achieving the goals set out for the administrative reform, such as enhancing the efficiency of public services, improving oversight over their provision, and lowering administrative barriers, has been mixed.
“To date, over 400 administrative regulations have been adopted, most of which have been endorsed by MOEDT of Russia and are being successfully implemented by such agencies as the Federal Migration Service, Federal Agency for Real Estate Cadastre, and the Federal Registration Service”, said Popova
The priority for 2008 is to promote multi-functional centers (MFC)—supermarkets for services—the goal being to provide as many services as possible through a one-stop shop. By MOEDT design, an ideal MFC should include a passport office, a local building administration, as well as a bank and a notary operating on an electronic line (queue) principle. According to Andrei Sharov, Director of Department of Government Regulation in the Economy, 74 regions are prepared to launch MFCs. In 2007, 16 regions established MFCs (altogether there are 18 operating MFCs). At an MFC, a citizen or an entrepreneur may receive up to 200 services (federal, regional, and municipal) simultaneously through a one-stop shop.
“People should not be concerned about which level of government is providing a particular service. An MFC encompasses all three levels of government—federal, regional, and municipal. If you prefer to split up these functions, i.e. have your centers provide services separately to entrepreneurs, and pensioners, you should not be using this brand name because you will not get any money from the federal budget, so you are advised to come up with a different name for a center like that”, A. Sharov warned.
Klaus Rohland, World Bank Country Director and Resident Representative in Russia noted that “in some emerging economies there is a misconception that the market is at odds with the government, which is wrong”.
“The government should be strong and big in order to create a framework for the private sector. This has been our experience in dealing with both developed and developing countries”, K. Rohland noted.
He supported the productive initiative to set up multifunctional centers (MFC) to provide public services across 16 regions in the country.
“The people of Russia need a “one-stop shop” system. The people should engage in a direct dialog with the government and see that their problems are being addressed”, concluded K. Roland.
The federal budget has allocated Rub 122.4 million to finance the opening of 18 MFCs in 2008. In total, in 2008 the government has earmarked Rub 960 million to finance the administrative reform in Russia. The funds will be allocated on a competitive basis between federal and regional governments. |
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