VITEBSK, 28 February (BelTA) – Programs implemented within the framework of the Union State of Belarus and Russia should shift their focus onto manufacturing projects, BelTA learned from Nikolai Gonchar, Chairman of the Budget and Finance Commission of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union of Belarus and Russia, before the commission's session began in Vitebsk on 28 February.
According to the source, Union State programs should focus on projects where money is invested in manufacturing. “Due to good reasons Union State programs have been focused on social, economic, and cultural affairs until recently. Nevertheless, the investments should produce returns not only in the moral, ethical, or social aspects but also financial ones,” believes Nikolai Gonchar. In his opinion, the proposal of the Belarusian footwear manufacturer Marko to set up an enterprise to make special footwear in Russia's Tyumen Oblast is timely and is supported by all members of the commission.
“This is the first project of its kind, which will demonstrate how fast such initiatives can be implemented. It will allow detecting all the pitfalls. The project will be used to polish future ways of work. We believe that such projects are very important. The Union State will be able to more vividly demonstrate results of its work,” noted Nikolai Gonchar.
The official underlined the importance and topicality of social, economic, and cultural programs of the Union State of Belarus and Russia. He mentioned the program on overcoming consequences of the Chernobyl catastrophe as an example. The program is in development now.
A session of the Budget and Finance Commission of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union of Belarus and Russia took place in Vitebsk on 28 February. Union State MPs, representatives of the Standing Committee of the Union State of Belarus and Russia, financial, economic, and oversight bodies of Belarus and Russia, the Vitebsk city administration, and Vitebsk companies took part in the event. Participants of the session focused on problems and prospects of creating Belarusian-Russian enterprises, the possibility of giving them support within the framework of the Union State of Belarus and Russia. Preliminary results achieved by the Union State budget in 2017, the budget's execution in 2018, and the development of a new edition of the procedure for working out and implementing Union State programs were also on the agenda.
