Dmitry Medvedev chaired a meeting of the Advisory Council on 16 October 2017. As a result of the meeting, the following decisions were made and instructions issued (Resolution DM-P13-7063 of 23 October 2017):

To approve a list of priority areas of activity of the Foreign Investment Advisory Council (FIAC) for 2018 as specified in the Communique adopted at the 31^st meeting of the FIAC.

The Economic Development Ministry (Maxim Oreshkin) and federal executive agencies will ensure the consideration of proposals and recommendations of the FIAC with the participation of organisations concerned.

The results are to be reported to the Government of the Russian Federation in July 2018.

The Finance Ministry (Anton Siluanov), the Economic Development Ministry (Maxim Oreshnkin) and the Federal Customs Service (Vladimir Bulavin), together with the working group on improving customs legislation of the Advisory Council on Foreign Investment, will consider simplifying the procedure for the identification of foreign goods in processed products, taking into account international experience and, if necessary, will submit to the Russian Government, before 1 December 2017, proposals on amending Russian legislation.

The Ministry of Agriculture (Allexander Tkachev) and the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision (Sergei Dankvert) will inform economic entities with any property ownership status (including educational and health care institutions and trade organisations) handling goods subject to national veterinary oversight (supervision) regarding the introduction of online veterinary certification.

The results are to be reported to the Russian Government by 5 December 2017.

The Ministry of Agriculture (Alexander Tkachev), the Economic Development Ministry (Maxim Oreshkin), the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision (Sergei Dankvert) and the Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare (Anna Popova), jointly with industrial unions (associations) and organisations producing finished (processed) dairy products, will consider the expediency of accompanying such products with supporting veterinary documents.

The results are to be reported to the Russian Government by 14 December, 2017.

The Finance Ministry (Anton Siluanov), the Ministry of Health (Veronika Skvortsova), the Ministry of Trade and Industry (Denis Manturov) and the Federal Antimonopoly Service (Igor Artemyev), jointly with federal executive agencies and organisations concerned, will consider the advisability of buying innovative patented medications by signing contracts without holding online auctions.

The results are to be reported to the Russian Government by 28 November 2017.

The Finance Ministry (Anton Siluanov) and the Labour Ministry (Maxim Topilin) will analyse the practice of granting preferences to national public organisations of people with disabilities in making procurements for state and municipal needs, including in cases when they are not the manufacturers of procured products.

The results are to be reported to the Russian Government by 19 December 2017.

The Ministry of Health (Veronika Skvortsova), the Ministry of Trade and Industry (Denis Manturov) and the Federal Antimonopoly Service (Igor Artemyev), together with federal executive agencies and organisations concerned and taking into account international experience, will consider the possibility of introducing a fast-track procedure for state registration of innovative medications.

The results are to be reported to the Russian Government by 28 November 2017.

The Ministry of Health (Veronika Skvortsova), the Ministry of Trade and Industry (Denis Manturov), the Federal Antimonopoly Service (Igor Artemyev) and the Federal Service for Intellectual Property (Grigory Ivliyev), together with federal executive agencies and organisations concerned, will analyse law enforcement practice in protecting exclusive rights to inventions related to medications and submit to the Russian Government, by 14 March 2018, coordinated proposals with regard to streamlining legislation in this sphere.

The Finance Ministry (Anton Siluanov), the Energy Ministry (Alexander Novak) and the Economic Development Ministry (Maxim Oreshkin), together with federal executive agencies, will look into the possibility of easing the tax burden by reducing the mineral extraction tax for Gazprom’s joint projects with a share of foreign investment.

The results are to be reported to the Russian Government.

The Finance Ministry (Anton Siluanov), in formulating, together with the Bank of Russia and the auditing community, the Russian Government’s position on draft Federal Law No. 273179-7 “On amending certain legislative acts of the Russian Federation (with regard to granting the Bank of Russia auditing powers),” will pay special attention to incorporating provisions ensuring the exhaustive description of norms with regard to granting the Bank of Russia regulatory, control and auditing supervisory powers, as well as preventing a conflict of interests in exercising banking regulation and oversight, regulation, control and oversight of financial markets and regulation control and oversight of auditing activity.

The results are to be reported to the Russian Government.

The Ministry of Communications and Mass Media (Nikolai Nikiforov), the Economic Development Ministry (Maxim Oreshkin), the Energy Ministry (Alexander Novak) and the Ministry of Trade and Industry (Denis Manturov), together with federal executive agencies and with the participation of the autonomous non-profit organisation Analytical Center for the Government of the Russian Federation and the autonomous non-profit organisation Digital Economy, will submit to the Russian Government coordinated proposals regarding mechanisms of cooperation with foreign companies in implementing the Digital Economy of the Russian Federation programme.

Today, Minister of Civil Defence, Emergencies and Disaster Relief Vladimir Puchkov reported to Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on search and rescue efforts following the crash of a Mil Mi-8 helicopter with Russian citizens aboard. The crash occurred in the sea off Svalbard (Spitsbergen Island). Mr Puchkov reported on the combined efforts of the ministry and the Norwegian rescue service and the measures taken in cooperation with the service.

Later, Dmitry Medvedev held a telephone conversation with Norway’s Prime Minister Erna Solberg at the initiative of the Norwegian side.

Ms Solberg expressed her condolences on the death of Russian citizens in the Mi-8 crash near Svalbard and asked that her words be conveyed to the relatives and friends of the crash victims. Mr Medvedev thanked the Norwegian Government and the authorities of Svalbard for organising the search and rescue operation which included a Russian Emergencies Ministry team.

The heads of government noted the importance of strengthening practical cooperation in the Arctic region and emphasised their mutual interest in the development of Russian-Norwegian relations.

The List of Agricultural Produce, Raw Materials and Food Products banned from import to Russia has been extended to include live pigs and several types of edible livestock byproducts and fats. The imposed restrictions will not affect domestic consumer availability.

Reference

The document was amended by the Russian Ministry of Agriculture.

Government Resolution No. 778 of 7 August 2017 specifies the agricultural produce, raw materials and food products subject to an import ban to Russia through 31 December 2018, originating from the United States, countries of the European Union, Canada, Australia, Norway, Ukraine, Albania, Montenegro, Iceland and Liechtenstein (hereinafter referred to as the List).

The signed resolution extends the List with the following items:

–        live pigs (with the exception of purebred breeding animals);

–        fresh, chilled or frozen edible byproducts of cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, horses, donkeys, mules and hinnies (with the exception of goods used in pharmaceutical production;

–        fresh, chilled or frozen, salted, marinated, dried or smoked pork fat separated from lean meat, and poultry fat, neither rendered nor extracted by another method;

–        pork fat (including lard) and poultry fat;

–        cattle, sheep and goat fat’;

–        lard stearin, lard oil, oleostearin, oleo oil or animal oil, emulsified, mixed or prepared by any other method.

The imposed restrictions will not affect domestic consumer availability.

Amendments to the list of agricultural produce, raw materials and food products originating from the Republic of Turkey, the import of which has been banned since 1 January 2016, stipulate that the term “fresh or chilled tomatoes” be amended with a footnote saying that the produce imported within the import quota approved by the Agriculture Ministry shall be excluded from the ban.

Reference

The resolution was drafted by the Ministry of Agriculture.

Government Resolution No. 1296 of 30 November 2015 approved the list of agricultural produce, raw materials and food products originating from the Republic of Turkey and subject to an import ban effective 1 January 2016 (hereinafter referred to as the List).  

The resolution makes amendments to the List. Under the resolution, the term “fresh or chilled tomatoes” (EAEU Commodity Classification of Foreign Economic Activity 0702 00) has been amended with a footnote saying that the produce imported within the import quota approved by the Agriculture Ministry shall be excluded from the ban.

The resolution enters into effect on 1 November 2017.

The amendment will allow Turkey to export tomatoes in the amounts approved by the Agriculture Ministry under the guarantee of a competent Turkish agency and under the supervision of the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision (Rosselkhoznadzor) starting 1 November 2017.

The 2014-2020 Interreg Baltic Sea Region transnational cooperation programme in Russia is an instrument for the implementation of joint cross-border projects between regions of the Russian Federation, states of the European Union and Norway that promote balanced socioeconomic development in the Baltic Region. Implementation of the Programme will help foster ties between regions of Russia and EU countries, preserve common cultural values, support environmental safety, and develop infrastructure.

Reference

The document has been submitted by the Ministry of Economic Development.

In accordance with Russian Government Directive No 1351-r of 29 June 2016, Russia’s application to join the 2014-2020 Interreg Baltic Sea Region transnational cooperation programme (hereinafter referred to as the Programme) has been signed.

By signing the directive, the Russian Party approved the draft Agreement on financial contributions of the Russian Federation and the European Union in order to ensure the implementation of the 2014-2020 Interreg Baltic Sea Region transnational cooperation programme in Russia (hereinafter referred to as the Agreement and the Programme, respectively).

The Programme is an instrument for the implementation of joint cross-border projects between regions of the Russian Federation, states of the European Union and Norway that promote balanced socioeconomic development in the Baltic Region.

For the Russian regions that are part of the Northwestern Federal District, this format of interregional cooperation is an effective tool for addressing regional issues, as well as an additional source of funding for regional initiatives.

Implementation of the Programme will help foster ties between the regions of Russia and the EU countries, preserve common cultural values, support environmental safety, and develop infrastructure.

Funds in the amount of 4.4 million euros will be allocated from the federal budget to implement the Agreement after its ratification as Russia’s contribution to the Programme (1.5 million euros in 2017, 1.5 million euros in 2018, 1.4 million euros in 2019). These funds are provided for in the federal budget for 2017 and for the planning period of 2018 and 2019.

The signing of the Agreement will ensure the participation of Russian organisations in this Programme.