The meeting was chaired by First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Sergei Kiriyenko.
It was attended by deputy chairs of the consultative commission: Aide to the President and State Council Secretary Igor Levitin and Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko as well as heads of 72 Russian regions, Chair of the State Duma Budget and Tax Committee Andrei Makarov, First Deputy Finance Minister Leonid Gornin, experts and representatives of regional executive bodies.
Issues related to balancing regional budgets and implementing national projects in Russian regions were discussed at the meeting. The participants noted the need for a flexible and adaptive system of financial support for national projects that allows for the formation of the most effective regional development strategies.
Following the meeting, they identified the main areas of work to amend legal acts in order to eliminate unjustified restrictions, excessive formalities and regulations preventing the creation of effective mechanisms to finance measures intended to fulfil the goals of national projects in the regions.
They also coordinated the transition to long-term agreements – for the entire period of implementation of national projects – to provide for inter-budget transfers from the federal centre to regions. The rules regulating financial relations between the federal centre and regions will become long-term, predictable and transparent.
In addition, the regions will have the right to advance fund the construction of priority facilities in the regions, such as kindergartens, schools, outpatient clinics and hospitals using their own money, with the federal centre compensating what was spent under national projects.
These decisions will speed up the implementation of national projects in the regions tasked with organising this process as quickly and effectively as possible.