Pavel Krashennikov, Chairperson of the Russian State Duma Committee for State-Building and Legislation, devoted his speech to discussing the key changes in legislation on local self-government that are expected to affect the daily lives of citizens. He noted that despite the relevance of bills related to the budget and special military operation, this law is of particular importance because it directly affects the authorities with whom citizens interact on a daily basis.

"This is a really important law. It is clear that we have a very important story with the budget. But this bill touches our lives every day. That's why we pay very much attention to it, " - Pavel Krashennikov emphasized.

He noted that the current legislation regulating local self-government is outdated and has become a source of many legal contradictions. The sources of this law were the previous laws, but time is passing, and these laws have already turned into such a tangle of contradictions, which we deal with on a daily basis. These contradictions are interfering with the normal work of local authorities and need to be urgently resolved.

One of the most important changes proposed in the new draft law is the transition to a one-tier system of local self-government.

"One of the most important issues is the transition to a one-tier system. We must eliminate those “matryoshka dolls”, which were created by the last law on local self-government.This refers to the situation when within one body of local self-government there are other structures, creating confusion, hindering efficiency in solving many issues," - the speaker emphasized.

To eliminate these “matryoshka dolls” in the future it is proposed to simplify the structure of local self-government, which will increase the efficiency of government bodies. An important aspect of the reform is the provision of “walking distance” to local self-government bodies, which guarantees citizens the opportunity to communicate directly with the authorities without having to travel long distances. Pavel Krashennikov noted: “it is necessary to ensure walking distance to the authorities, so that the work would be real for the protection of citizens' rights and development”.

In addition, the key issue is a clear distribution of powers between local governments and the subjects of the Federation. The speaker says that under the new law, a system will be developed whereby all powers relating to local governance will be precisely set out in the legislation.

"We want to make sure that all powers are exactly written in the law of local government. We managed to do it in the law on public authority in the subjects of the Federation, and we hope that everything will be clear here too. One of the goals of the bill is to prevent the situation when the powers are distributed on the basis of verbal agreements or remain unclear,” - he said.

The Speaker also told about the importance of cooperation with the subjects of the Federation in the implementation of reforms. He told that in some regions the transition to a single-tier system has already begun. “The transition to a one-tier system have already started in 20 subjects of Russia, in 25 of them it will be done next year. This is an important step, and we need to give the regions the opportunity to choose how they will implement these changes,” -he said. This includes the possibility for the regions to introduce special laws that will regulate the transition to the new system.

Special attention was paid to the topic of powers. The speaker explained that the new regulations will detail which powers remain with local authorities and which can be transferred to a higher level. An important aspect is the possibility of “splitting of powers”, when, for example, control over certain actions remain with the municipalities, but part of the responsibilities are transferred to the regions. The Speaker noted: “We believe that the scope of powers can be split. You can decide with your law that, let's say, you give control over this to someone, but control over this remains with you.”

The bill will also take into account jurisprudence, including that relating to devolution issues. The speaker told how in some regions, for example, in Tatarstan, litigation arose because of ambiguity in the distribution of powers. He says that a careful work has been done to avoid such situations in the future.

Concluding his speech, Pavel Krashennikov noted that the draft law is at the stage of discussion, and it is important to take into account the opinion of all interested parties.

"If there are any proposals, we are waiting. We are attentive to the discussion of this issue, and it is very important that the changes take into account the opinions of all experts,” - he said. He also said that the transition period for the implementation of the new norms may take a long time, which will give an opportunity to thoroughly prepare for the changes and make the necessary amendments.

General Information:

On December 3 through 6, 2024 Ufa is hosting the XVII International Business Week Forum. The Forum is traditionally organized by the Government of the Republic of Bashkortostan.

The republic is rightfully viewed as a congress-rich region that attracts guests from all over the world. Ufa has become a center of international events. For two weeks in a row, it is hosting significant forums.

The International Business Week is recognized by Maria Zakharova, Representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, as a top-5 largest forums in Russia. This event strengthens the role of the region as a venue of business communication and cooperation. The Republic of Bashkortostan proves to be an expert ground for a meaningful dialog between the authorities and business community and strengthens its presence on the map of international business activity.

This year the Forum will be focusing on key prospects of the Republic of Bashkortostan and Russia in economy, export, innovation and investments during four field-specific days: December 3 - Entrepreneurship Day; December 4 - X All-Russian Legal Forum; December 5 - Yalta International Economic Forum; December 6 - International Business Week.

The Forum will feature an exhibition, a gastrofestival and a B2B negotiation area. There guests and participants will get to know about their colleagues' experience and extend their network. Besides, the event will hold business development and public administration awards.

Please, feel encouraged to learn more about the business and entertainment programs of the XVII International Business Week at the official web-page: https://ibw-bashkortostan.com.

Learn more with our telegram bot: https://t.me/InternationalBusinessWeekBot.