The agenda includes the prolongation of the Space Activities state programme, support of citizens and businesses in border regions, and mechanism for issuing treasury infrastructure loans.
Mikhail Mishustin’s opening remarks
Marat Khusnullin’s report on the mechanism for issuing treasury infrastructure loans
Meeting with deputy prime ministers on current issues
Marat Khusnullin at the briefing with deputy prime ministers
Meeting with deputy prime ministers on current issues
Meeting with deputy prime ministers on current issues
Excerpts from the transcripts:
Mikhail Mishustin: Good afternoon, colleagues.
Today we will begin our briefing with issues related to strengthening Russia’s technological and industrial sovereignty.
The government has prolonged the effect of the Space Activities state programme for another six years, until 2036, hence significantly expanding the strategic planning timeframe and increasing the effectiveness of the measures we are developing.
At the president’s instruction, the development of the entire complex of key long-term initiatives that are to be included in the new corresponding national project is nearing completion. It includes measures that promote the peaceful exploration and use of outer space among other things. It is also very important here to significantly strengthen scientific potential.
Another significant challenge will be related to construction of all necessary modern infrastructure and the establishment of internal industrial cooperation for large-scale production of advanced technology.
We hope that private businesses will be actively involved in this work: it is well known that space technologies are used in many related industries.
As for aiding people and businesses in Russian border regions, above all in the Kursk, Belgorod, and Bryansk regions.
A number of support measures are provided there at the president’s instruction, including an annual deferment of taxes and insurance premiums for citizens and organisations, expanded budget financing of medical institutions, grants for the restoration or relocation of production, supplies of cars for mobile trade, benefits for equipment leasing, and free economic zones with special conditions for entrepreneurial activity.
Without doubt, these measures help people in difficult
situation.
In addition to this, last year we allocated over one billion roubles to pay for temporary downtime of workers for reasons beyond their and their employers’ control.
This year, we will allocate almost 800 million roubles more for this.
This decision will free up the working capital that enterprises need and, most importantly, will make it possible to retain qualified employees and workforces so that they can return to work as soon as possible.
There is also a question about the development of Russian constituent entities. This is one of the key areas of the Government's work. It is there that all the changes that have been incorporated into the national projects and a whole range of sectoral programmes are taking place. People can see the results: the construction of schools, clinics, housing, and roads.
On the instructions of the President, we are launching a new instrument – treasury infrastructure loans. The relevant rules for their provision have been approved.
Funds will be disbursed at a favourable rate of 3 percent per annum for 15 years. These funds will make it possible to design and create housing and utilities projects, purchase municipal transport, carry out technological connection to utility networks and do many other things. The Presidium of the Government Commission on Regional Development will approve such projects.
Mr Khusnullin, you are engaged in this work. Tell us more about the new mechanism, its peculiarities and the tasks it will help to solve.
Marat Khusnullin at the briefing with deputy prime ministers
Marat Khusnullin: Mr Mishustin, colleagues.
As part of his Address to the Federal Assembly and following an extended meeting of State Council commissions on the areas of socio-economic development, Vladimir Putin instructed that the mechanism of budget loans should be extended until 2030 in the amount of 250 billion roubles. This is a highly sought-after mechanism, the regions are asking for it, and it has shown its effectiveness.
We have also been instructed to ensure that at least two thirds of the regions' debts on budget loans are written off. This is about one trillion roubles. Provided that the freed-up funds are channelled into infrastructure projects and investment support.
I would like to note that work on these instructions is being actively pursued.
Last week we adopted rules for writing off two thirds of the debt on budget loans and channelling the released funds to support investments.
As you noted, as part of the instruction, we are making a transition to the provision of new treasury infrastructure loans. They will be used to implement a new large-scale national project Infrastructure for Life, as well as to implement previously approved infrastructure projects. The loans may be used to implement projects to upgrade the housing and utilities sector (at least 50 percent), to support investment projects, in particular, in the tourism sector, to support infrastructure in special economic zones and territories of advanced development, as well as for the purchase of city transport, and for master plans for cities in the Far Eastern Federal District and core settlements in the Arctic zone.
The rules for granting loans have been approved. We will soon prepare and approve the rules for selecting new projects. At the Government Commission on Regional Development, we discussed with governors approaches to allocating loan amounts to the regions and readiness for their disbursement.
Treasury infrastructure loans will continue infrastructure budget loans, the most capital-intensive instrument of the Infrastructure Menu socioeconomic development initiative.
At the time of launch, the total volume of these loans accounted for one trillion roubles. As of today, we gave out 679 billion, and the rest will be provided according to the new procedure.
The terms for providing treasury infrastructure loans are the same, but the requirements for the regions will become stricter considering the adopted norms of budget legislation. For example, the loan rules envisage for an increase in the interest rate from 3 to 6 percenter for violating the project implementation schedule and failing to achieve indicators.
I will speak briefly about the work results on infrastructure budget loans.
As of the end of 2024, the cumulative total of work accepted was 530 billion roubles. These funds were spent to complete more than 500 facilities and events and update 950 km of utility networks and 1,700 units of urban public transport.
Of these, 186 facilities and events were completed in 2024, including 14 that the regions completed ahead of schedule.
The projects implemented last year include really large and significant ones, such as a bypass of Toglyatti, the opening of which was attended by the head of state; as well as the renovation of a road in Penza and construction of another road in Voronezh.
There also were projects on social facilities, such as an educational complex in Krasnogorsk built as part of the development of housing construction. A large city polyclinic was built in Yekaterinburg. A major overhaul of the aquatic complex in Vladikavkaz was carried out, as well the renovation of the Severnaya substation, which is necessary for the development of Simferopol.
It is especially important that the work carried out has a comprehensive effect.
First, comfortable conditions for living, working, and relaxing are created, and second, the implementation of these projects has a beneficial effect on the economy of the regions.
Thanks to the implementation of infrastructural projects, the regions have commissioned over 23 million square metres of housing and created 130,000 jobs. The tax and non-tax revenues alone amounted to 136 billion roubles.
Infrastructural loans have proven their popularity, and the regions have appreciated how convenient and flexible this instrument is. Considering the need for infrastructure development, Vladimir Putin decided to allocate additional credit limits.
We have also been provided 190 billion roubles in treasury loans, which were mainly used to purchase public transport. In 2024, jointly with the Ministry of Industry and Trade, we delivered more than 8,000 units of public transport. This was a real breakthrough in upgrading public transport. Today, 92 percent of buses are already running.
Improving the quality of life of the Russians is a key task of all the regional development tools.
Feedback from citizens shows that this work is seen and also very needed in the regions, so we will continue with it.
In conclusion, I would like to thank the President and you, Mr Mishustin, for all the decisions adopted, for constant attention and support. I would also like to thank all the Government members, ministries, agencies, and heads of regions.
I hope that, thanks to our joint work, we will achieve all the goals we have set.
Mikhail Mishustin: Thank you, Mr Khusnullin. It is very important to take feedback on this matter into consideration, which the president always highlights.
