Friday, 18 March 2011
EU supportive of reform program
A cabinet sitting was held today under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan
Summing up the outcome of the government delegation’s latest visit to Brussels, the Prime Minister said the most importance result is that all the European structures are prepared to extend all-out support to the Republic of Armenia.
To ensure enforcement of the law on licensing, the government passed over a dozen of decisions with the view of amending a number of licensing-related previous decisions. According to Tigran Sargsyan, these new decisions seek to liberalize the sphere of licensing in the Republic of Armenia through about a twofold decrease in the number of activities subject to mandatory licensing. This will improve the business environment in the country in line with the government’s priorities.
The meeting looked into the legislative initiative of a group of members of Parliament concerning amendments to the customs code which is believed to enhance efficiency in customs policy and address the population’s welfare problems. The Executive rejected the initiative which had been taken up by a panel set up in the Ministry of Finance. An invitation to that effect had been sent to representatives from Heritage faction who failed to accept it. Tigran Sargsyan noted in this connection that regardless of this fact, government departments and agencies should be consistent in sending such invitations to opposition in future.
The government passed another decree to amend a previous one by taking the amount of the loans extended to motor-car importers up to AMD 1 billion. With reference to this decision, the head of government reminded that many used to describe this initiative as non-effective. Notwithstanding, we can see now that there is a need of additional lending because each imported car requires some 400 to 500 thousand drams for customs clearance. The government has all the reasons to believe that the citizens will meet their liabilities in full and in a timely manner.
The meeting next discussed MP Ruzanna Arakelyan’s initiative on amending the labor code of the Republic of Armenia to establish wage supplements for the inhabitants of alpine and high-mountain settlements. The government rejected this initiative. In this connection, Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan noted that prioritizing the proportionate development of the provinces, including the ones situated in high-mountain areas, the government is anxious that the Ms. Arakelyan’s proposal may be dangerous by putting additional burden on the private sector. The government’s approach is more reasonable as it implies establishment of wage supplements for public sector employees and a welfare package in the form of subsidies along with subsidies to be made available for banking interest. In this way, the State will shoulder the burden and spare the private sector.
The aforementioned bills and the findings of the government will be submitted to the National Assembly in the manner established by law.
The cabinet went on to approve a program on development of social sciences in Armenia in a bid to boost their professional standing and the level of integration with the global circuit. As a result, public spending efficiency will be enhanced in this field.
In conclusion, the meeting endorsed the 2011 “Come Home” program and the related action plan intending to invite some 800 young people from the Diaspora to visit our country during the year.
