Updated at 17:53,27-03-2024

Kariagin: Business and government live in parallel worlds

Telegraf

Chairman of Minsk Capital Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers (MCUEE) Vladimir Kariagin believes that today the Belarusian government and business live in different worlds.

February 9, MCUEE head emphasized the special importance of cooperation between government agencies with entrepreneurs, while bringing in the draft of the National Business Platform of Belarus for 2012.

Kariagin reported at a press conference in Minsk that only 21 out of 104 points of last year's platform were fully implemented in 2011, while another 31 proposals are in the final stages of implementation. The business community has shifted some non-implemented proposals to a new platform in hope that their appeals will be heard by the authorities.

"In making these or other requirements, justifying them, formulating them more clearly, succinctly and objectively, we’re contributing to education of our government, its better understanding of the current situation, a more realistic perception of the reality that shapes today's business environment", said Vladimir Kariagin.

MCUEE head hopes that this year the government will be more realistic about both its own capabilities and the role of business in the economy.

In turn, head of a research center Mizes Yaroslav Romanchuk pointed out that similar inconsistency and a sort of split existed not only between business and government, but also within the government itself. According to him, state agencies are now taking ambiguous solutions, while the measures taken often contradict on another.

Ramanchuk: the Year of enterprising resulted in failure

Last year, announced in Belarus the Year of enterprise, according to Yaroslav Romanchuk, resulted in total a fiasco. The Economist notes that even those goals, initially marked by the government, the National Bank, Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Economy, were not implemented and, thus, transferred into in 2012.

The expert also notes that in 2012, "no one expects an easy walk along the financial market". In particular, he points to possible problems in the implementation of the privatization plan, voiced by the authorities, according to which, in 2012, $2.5 billion is planned to attract from the privatization of state property.

"It's time for buyers, not sellers - it is quite obvious. So, it is extremely difficult to raise money, especially under those conditions, set by our SPC today", said Yaroslav Romanchuk.