Opinions & Interviews

BRYANSK, 18 December (BelTA) – It is necessary to make Union State programs more efficient and to enhance the control over their implementation, Marianna Shchetkina, Deputy Chairwoman of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Belarus-Russia Union State, Vice Speaker of the upper chamber of the Belarusian parliament, said at the 53^rd session of the Parliamentary Assembly on 16 December, BelTA has learned.

“We have neither bodies nor mechanisms to assess the efficiency of the programs. We have the Union State budget. We should evaluate mutual benefits from the programs we implement. These are joint enterprises, joint research and a practical focus on budget spending,” said Marianna Shchetkina.

According to her, the Union State budget has recently run a growing surplus given the reduced number of programs. “Earlier, we had 15 to 16 programs. Today we have only eight,” she said speaking about the plans for 2018.

According to the deputy chairwoman of the Union State, one of the reasons for the current situation is a lengthy tender procedure. “We have repeatedly discussed this topic but have done nothing about it. We have not set the deadlines for the consideration of projects. We have not issued regulations setting the responsibility for consideration of new projects within the established time limits,” Marianna Shchetkina stressed.

She urged the ministries of the two countries and other stakeholders to step up efforts on the joint projects in the digital economy and innovative technologies. “These programs are practice-oriented,” the deputy chairwoman added.

The 53^rd session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union State of Belarus and Russia was held in Bryansk on 16 December. The main item on the agenda was the parliamentary hearings on the harmonization of the legislation in ensuring equal rights for citizens of the two countries. The 2018 Union State budget was also high on the agenda. The budget worth RUB6.93 billion includes the unused funds from the previous years (more than RUB2 billion). The draft resolution on the establishment of the Youth Chamber was submitted for consideration as well. The document also contains a proposal for the two countries to determine the order for the delegation of the representatives to the chamber.