09.08.2018
Economy to be in focus of autumn session of Belarus' House of Representatives
MINSK (BelTA) – Economic matters will dominate the agenda of the forthcoming autumn session of the House of Representatives, Chairman of the House of Representatives Vladimir Andreichenko said at a meeting of the Council of the House of Representatives on 9 August, BelTA has learned.
“A total of 37 bills are now under consideration of permanent commissions. By the start of the session this figure will rise dramatically. The parliament should make the most of the remaining time to harmonize the bills by the forthcoming meeting of the Council of the House of Representatives that will be held in September to discuss the draft agenda of the autumn session,” the speaker informed. He warned against unjustified lagging and a formal approach to legislative work.
According to Vladimir Andreichenko, fiscal policy will be in focus of MPs. “The emphasis will be made on implementing the president's decisions to stimulate entrepreneurship, support SMEs, and elaborate well-balanced, clear-cut and comprehensible tax legislation. Social policy will be another important area of focus. It is necessary to closely collaborate with the government within the framework of interdepartmental groups and to put forward and push for our proposals, so that after the fiscal policy bills are officially submitted to the House of Representatives, we will not get lost in details, but will be able to focus on conceptual issues,” the speaker said.
The scrutiny of bills related to investments will be concluded during the autumn session. “We have agreed to hold a parliamentary hearing to discuss this highly important matter. The hearing will be organized by a corresponding commission. The number one task is to roll out high-quality and relevant recommendations that will be of practical value for the domestic economy,” Vladimir Andreichenko noted.
An equal focus will be made on bills to improve housing and labor laws. Such bills will have an impact on virtually all Belarusians; therefore, they have already stirred a great deal of public debate. “Such bills should be discussed on a timely and comprehensive basis involving all stakeholders. MPs have multiple forms of work: extended-participation sessions of permanent commissions, working groups, and roundtable sessions. It is important not to be afraid of open discussion and to actively engage mass media. Media coverage of this kind of parliamentary debate should be an efficient instrument of improving the quality of legislation and raising awareness of the public, as was reiterated by the head of state on numerous occasions,” the speaker said.
During the forthcoming session, the MPs will complete the work on bills on drinking water supply, privatization vouchers payable to a named person, and bankruptcy. Permanent commissions were instructed to finish discussion and put forward specific decisions.
“A total of 37 bills are now under consideration of permanent commissions. By the start of the session this figure will rise dramatically. The parliament should make the most of the remaining time to harmonize the bills by the forthcoming meeting of the Council of the House of Representatives that will be held in September to discuss the draft agenda of the autumn session,” the speaker informed. He warned against unjustified lagging and a formal approach to legislative work.
According to Vladimir Andreichenko, fiscal policy will be in focus of MPs. “The emphasis will be made on implementing the president's decisions to stimulate entrepreneurship, support SMEs, and elaborate well-balanced, clear-cut and comprehensible tax legislation. Social policy will be another important area of focus. It is necessary to closely collaborate with the government within the framework of interdepartmental groups and to put forward and push for our proposals, so that after the fiscal policy bills are officially submitted to the House of Representatives, we will not get lost in details, but will be able to focus on conceptual issues,” the speaker said.
The scrutiny of bills related to investments will be concluded during the autumn session. “We have agreed to hold a parliamentary hearing to discuss this highly important matter. The hearing will be organized by a corresponding commission. The number one task is to roll out high-quality and relevant recommendations that will be of practical value for the domestic economy,” Vladimir Andreichenko noted.
An equal focus will be made on bills to improve housing and labor laws. Such bills will have an impact on virtually all Belarusians; therefore, they have already stirred a great deal of public debate. “Such bills should be discussed on a timely and comprehensive basis involving all stakeholders. MPs have multiple forms of work: extended-participation sessions of permanent commissions, working groups, and roundtable sessions. It is important not to be afraid of open discussion and to actively engage mass media. Media coverage of this kind of parliamentary debate should be an efficient instrument of improving the quality of legislation and raising awareness of the public, as was reiterated by the head of state on numerous occasions,” the speaker said.
During the forthcoming session, the MPs will complete the work on bills on drinking water supply, privatization vouchers payable to a named person, and bankruptcy. Permanent commissions were instructed to finish discussion and put forward specific decisions.