Mikhail Mishustin: "In Russia, e‑commerce continues to grow in popularity. Over the past few years, turnover in the sector has increased nearly sixfold. In such a fast-moving market, it’s vital that the interests of buyers and suppliers of goods and services are properly protected.”
Mikhail Mishustin’s opening remarks:
Mikhail Mishustin holds strategic session on regulating the platform economy
Mikhail Mishustin holds strategic session on regulating the platform economy
Mikhail Mishustin holds strategic session on regulating the platform economy
Good afternoon, colleagues,
Today, we are focusing on the development of the platform economy. This is a critically important area for the country as it touches virtually every sector in the domestic economy, boosts business activity, strengthens the resilience of small manufacturers, and opens up new opportunities in the social sphere. All of this is essential if we are to see dynamic growth in our regions and deliver on the national objectives set out by the President.
Digital platforms are expanding rapidly, connecting sellers and buyers directly, reducing costs for entrepreneurs, and making it easier to enter new markets, streamline logistics and, crucially, give consumers access to a huge range of products quickly and easily, without even leaving home.
In Russia, e‑commerce continues to grow in popularity. Over the past few years, turnover in the sector has increased nearly sixfold, with marketplaces, food delivery services and taxi apps accounting for the lion’s share of that growth.
Thanks to these platforms, more than a million sellers are growing their businesses and reaching new customers. They are making use of cutting‑edge tools, the infrastructure of online marketplaces and pickup points, even in places where chain stores don’t operate. That means people in major cities and remote villages alike have convenient access to a wide variety of goods.
At the same time, in such a fast‑moving market, it is vital that the interests of buyers and suppliers of goods and services are properly protected. That’s why the Government is working to improve the regulatory framework.
Following an instruction from the President, a federal law has been drafted and adopted, and it will come into force this October. Its aim is to make digital platforms more transparent. Under the new rules, platforms will interact with government information systems to verify data on labelling, certificates and declarations of conformity. This will strengthen quality control and give buyers greater confidence in the safety of the products they purchase.
To help small businesses and the self‑employed protect their rights, we have also approved standard requirements for contracts with online platforms. These contracts, developed in response to feedback from the business community, ensure transparency in how sellers interact with marketplaces and prevent platforms from discounting products without the supplier’s consent.
We are hopeful that these new measures will support the continued growth of Russian digital platforms and boost competition in the market. That, in turn, will allow not only established businesses but also individual entrepreneurs to launch projects, explore new areas of activity and expand their reach across the country through marketplaces.
Today, we’ll be looking at these issues in more depth and discussing what further steps we can take to improve the sector’s performance.
