The agenda includes the adoption of a long-term strategy for low-carbon development, extending the construction industry support facility, and paying bonuses to winners in the nationwide Best Municipal Practice competition.
Meeting with deputy prime ministers
Opening remarks by Mikhail Mishustin:
Good afternoon, colleagues,
On President’s instruction, the Government has formulated a long-term strategy for low-carbon development which is designed to adapt our economy to the global energy transition, cut greenhouse gas emissions and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. This goal was set by the President. Significant structural changes are scheduled to take place within the next 10 years.
Global energy transition is critically important. Just recently, we discussed the topic with corporate executives at the Foreign Investment Advisory Council. The new strategy will combine the international climate agenda with our economy’s capabilities and interests.
The document contains industry-specific action points, including energy, industry, housing and utilities, as well as transport, construction, industrial and household consumption waste management, agriculture and forestry.
Climate projects will become operational as soon as next year and include implementing environmentally safe solutions, improving the capacity of forests and other natural ecosystems to absorb greenhouse gases, and carbon dioxide capture and sequestration. A carbon reporting system for enterprises will become mandatory in 2023.
A corresponding road map will be drafted in order to implement the strategy. Changes in our approaches to the carbon agenda should improve our economy in general. It is important to keep up with the times and carry out a transformation of technology that will increase exports, employment and incomes.
Also, the Government decided to expand the use of the mechanism for increasing the price of the public procurement contracts concluded before 1 October 2021. Previously, this mechanism was limited to construction companies that concluded contracts before 1 July. The resolution to that effect has been signed.
The mechanism provides for an option to increase the contract price up to 30 percent, that is, of course, in cases where contractors’ requirements are justified, primarily, by higher construction material prices.
Another innovation includes expanding the list of eligible departments, the number of which has almost doubled. This decision will help support the construction business in these challenging times. Their work must be remunerated fairly and major publicly-funded projects must be implemented without failure or delay.
With regard to helping the regions of the Russian Federation, which are working to create comfortable living conditions for their residents, we have recently summed up the results of the nationwide competition, The Best Municipal Practice, and identified the winners which include 50 municipalities from 36 regions of the Russian Federation.
The prize fund is 1 billion roubles. These awards will support the municipalities that offer effective solutions in critical areas, primarily, housing and utilities, landscaping, developing public self-government and introducing digital technologies.
Best practices that can improve living conditions are then spread to other urban areas and districts, as well as urban and rural communities across the country and make it possible for residents to come up with solutions that make life in their respective city or town more comfortable.
