COUNCIL OF HEADS OF ADMINISTRATIONS OF BELARUSSIAN SEZ WILL HELP TO IMPROVE INVESTMENT CLIMATE

The Council of heads of FEZ administrations will become an effective platform for a comprehensive solution of the issues of improving the investment legislation of Belarus. This opinion was expressed by Deputy Minister of Economy Pavel Utyupin today at the founding meeting of the council in Vitebsk.

In Belarus, large-scale work is under way to improve the conditions for conducting economic activities, improving investment legislation. "The proposals, which are subsequently implemented in normative acts, are born during a dialogue between government and business on the basis of practical experience, so the Council of heads of FEZ administrations established today will become another platform for exchanging views and working out proposals for improving business conditions and investment attractiveness of the country" , - supported the initiative, Pavel Utyupin, and agreed to take an active part in his work.

According to Mikhail Skurat, the head of FEZ Vitebsk administration, who initiated the creation of the council, this form of cooperation will help the heads of the SEZ to develop a consolidated position on various issues related to the activities of territories with a special legal regime, to make proposals to improve legislation and jointly solve problems at the national and local levels. It is also expected to include representatives of the industrial park "Great Stone", the National Agency for Investments and Privatization. It is planned to develop a provision on the council and other documents regulating its work by the end of the summer. Meetings of the council will be held at least once a year in various regions of Belarus.

Based on the results of the constituent meeting, the heads of FEZ administrations prepared a package of proposals on improving the legislation on FEZ in various spheres. In particular, it is proposed to extend the preferential treatment of FEZ to transport and logistics activities and investment projects implemented in the field of logistics, in particular for logistics services implemented outside the FEZ territory, which will increase the investment attractiveness of FEZ for large foreign logistic companies. As noted by Pavel Utyupin, on all proposals, the Ministry of Economy organizes a discussion with the relevant departments for subsequent decision-making.

There are six free economic zones in Belarus (one in each regional center, including Minsk). More than 400 enterprises operate as residents of FEZ.