Meeting with deputy prime ministers on current issues

The agenda included the outcomes of the meetings of the CIS Heads of Government Council and the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council; co-financing of expenses for the salaries of medical workers; adjustments to the state programme for the development of agriculture; and rules for subsidising projects for the integrated development of territories.

Mikhail Mishustin's opening remarks:

Good morning, colleagues,

Last week, Moscow hosted important international events: the meetings of the CIS Heads of Government Council and the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council.

My CIS colleagues and I toured Bauman University and its modern campus. The university is actively applying the world-renowned Russian method of training of skilled engineers, which combines the simultaneous mastering of theory and practical activity. We observed the university's innovations, which are actively used to teach students and refine their practical skills.

Education and other issues on the humanitarian agenda were discussed in detail at the meeting of the CIS Heads of Government Council, where we reviewed the results of Russia's chairmanship in the CIS. Focus was placed on strengthening trade and economic cooperation. We have agreed on the digital transformation of the transport complex within the common space, the development of civil shipbuilding, and the production of relevant components. We will also promote joint activities to study, use, protect, and monitor groundwater.

The CIS has proclaimed 2025 as the Year of the 80^th Anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War and the Year of Peace and Unity in the Struggle against Nazism. This is reflected in the plan of high-priority events in the sphere of cultural and humanitarian cooperation, which we have approved.

The Eurasian Economic Union will mark its tenth anniversary on 1 January 2025. Together with our five EAEU partners, we continue to do everything possible to ensure the free movement of goods, services, capital and labour. We have adopted multiple decisions to fully unlock the potential of our integration. One of these decisions aims to assist businesses in our five states in implementing joint cooperation projects. These initiatives, particularly in the field of industrial cooperation, are already co-financed from the union budget.

Colleagues,

The Commonwealth of Independent States and the Eurasian Economic Union have proved their efficiency and significance. They are the main platforms for strengthening ties in our region. Of course, we all need to advance long-term practical collaboration with our nearest neighbours and expand the scope of our activities. This meets the interests of all participants.

I would like to ask you to closely oversee your respective areas of responsibility and monitor the implementation of specific agreements.

I would now like to say a few words about a decision to support the healthcare system in Russian regions.

As the President has noted, we are doing a lot to ensure accessible healthcare, primarily in rural areas and small towns.

The Government is actively conducting this work, including by co-financing the wages of doctors and employed in the healthcare system. The budget of the Federal Fund for Mandatory Medical Insurance allocates resources for these purposes. This support is vital for the regions. Their leaders discuss this issue during our meetings. Hospitals, outpatient clinics and paramedic stations are opening across the nation, and they are being provided with brand-new equipment. However, their efficiency directly depends on the competence of their staff that care for their patients. We are therefore helping Russian regions attract new employees. Next year, plans are in place to hire about 26,000 skilled specialists, including over 11,000 doctors and over 15,000 employees of mid-level medical personnel.

We will provide the regions with almost 10 billion roubles in budgetary transfers to guarantee the required payments for them.

We hope that they will receive these resources as soon as possible, and that such funding will help address staffing issues and thus improve the quality of healthcare nationwide.

Another topic concerns the adjustment of the State Programme for Agriculture Development. The amendments have been drafted based on the President's instructions and the key tasks we will face next year.

At the recent meeting on these issues, the President noted the need to use business support measures that would yield maximum effect in increasing the output of goods and services. These measures concern many sectors, including, to a large extent, the agro-industrial complex.

The Government has drafted a resolution specifying the procedure for co-financing regional expenditure. A number of amendments are proposed to the rules for the provision and distribution of subsidies from the federal budget, including those for priority areas of the agro-industrial complex.

Now, in allocating funds, we will pay more attention to creating conditions for the agribusiness engaged in growing fruits and berries, ensuring that necessary financing is available for orchards and nurseries.

One more important area is assistance in entering into agro-insurance contracts. Due to weather emergencies, producers suffer serious losses in crop and livestock yields. This is a challenge we face almost every year. We need to help businesses reduce risks in a timely manner, and subsidising such costs should be increased.

We are also specifying the conditions for providing the most popular grants, such as Agroprogress, for the developers of material and technical resources and family farms. These resources will be used to purchase and install gas piston units, which will reduce the energy costs of small farms.

A special emphasis will be placed on the situation in the Siberian and Far Eastern federal districts. There, priority funding will be provided for agro-technological work, including measures to improve soil fertility and quality, as well as to improve environmental safety in the agro-industrial complex, including for increasing fodder production.

We have also included a proposal that emerged as a result of our strategic session, where we discussed technological support for our food security. Contemporary agribusiness requires supplies of enzymes, food and feed additives, and other auxiliaries critical for efficient production. And, of course, they must be produced in Russia. Therefore, the creators of such solutions will be able to claim compensation for some of the costs associated with their research and development work in this area.

These are just a few of the most significant changes for agriculture that have been drafted with input from our agricultural experts.

I draw your attention to the fact that all the new measures have to take effect starting 1 January 2025. We expect these measures to help preserve the competitiveness of our farmers, ensuring that our citizens have access to higher quality food.

Another issue concerns support for the regions.

The President emphasised that these areas must develop and become comfortable for work and study, allowing residents to connect the future of their families with the regions, make long-term plans, and strengthen their commitment to the places where they were born.

The Government continues to create a comfortable living environment across the country. To achieve this, a corresponding federal project has been implemented over the past five years. As a result, over 26 million families have improved their living conditions. The construction of the essential social and public infrastructure had been funded through regional budgets.

Now, projects for the comprehensive development of territories will be subsidised by the state. The regulations for this have already been approved. Russian regions with low budgetary security and those with individual socioeconomic development programmes in effect will be able to access the funds. They will be able to directly finance the construction of kindergartens, schools and health centres, as well as to upgrade water and heating supply networks, transport and other facilities.

We hope that the decisions we have made will help create comfortable conditions in cities and towns as soon as possible and improve the quality of life for our citizens, ensuring that populated areas become modern, comfortable, and convenient.

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