Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 13 March (BelTA) – In 2019 the Union State budget will envisage deficit-based, State Secretary of the Union State Grigory Rapota said in an interview to Belarus 1 TV channel, BelTA has learned.

“I hope that the outcome of the elections in Russia will positively affect the Union State. As for our work, I do not feel any obstacles. We continue working on the agenda of the Supreme State Council. The Union State budget for 2018 has been signed,” said Grigory Rapota. He added that although the budget has not been fully utilized in recent years, there are positive developments. “That surplus of the previous year we are reducing by half for the current year. Next year we will have deficit if we continue working at the same pace. This means that all Union State programs will need investment,” he said.

The Union State project has proved its viability. Integration can be seen across a wide range of sectors. Economic disputes, which sometimes arise between countries, do not abolish the achieved results, Grigory Rapota stressed. Some of the issues have been transferred to the competence of the Eurasian Economic Union. “There is a part of issues which pertains to the competence of the Union State. These are the balances of agricultural products. I have repeatedly asked for these balances to be adopted either ahead of the coming year or at its start,” added Grigory Rapota.