Vladimir Putin had a traditional annual big conversation with business. On Friday, he took part in the XXX anniversary congress of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs. Today, the country is entering a new stage, when, after a quick recovery, both rapid and high-quality growth is needed, he said.
The government is already working to maintain measures to support small and medium-sized businesses next year. In addition, Putin called for the revision of the bill on the use of vaccination certificates for visiting public places and said that Sputnik V is better than other vaccines against the omicron strain.
Covid: a tense situation
Vladimir Putin said that the situation in the fight against coronavirus remains very serious and tense. Despite the fact that the number of cases per day is decreasing, the numbers are still high.
“Look, we recently had 41 thousand cases a day. Today it is 26-28 thousand. It seems to be a reduction by almost half. But this is a lot for us,” Putin said. He drew attention to the fact that the death rate has grown in the country. “To a large extent, this is connected in one way or another with the covid. Not because someone is hiding something, it is even impossible to calculate these consequences,” the president explained. In addition, the number of children suffering from coronavirus has sharply increased, and with serious consequences.
The head of state also cited the statistics of the disease in Europe. “Great Britain – 67.2 million people now have a population. We have 146. I have already said that 26-28 thousand fall ill a day in our country, and in Great Britain, according to their official data, 88 thousand. The population is almost doubled. fewer, and almost three times more cases, “the president said.
QR codes: take into account the concerns of citizens
A balance must be struck between the constraints of the pandemic, economic resilience and citizen health. Therefore, the resonant bill on the use of vaccination certificates in public places should be finalized in order to take into account all the nuances and life situations in it, the president said.
– I instruct the government, together with the State Duma, the Federation Council, associations of employers, representatives of civil society, to finalize the law on the use of certificates of the vaccinated in public places, to take into account all the issues that concern our citizens. The law must be clear, clear and understandable, Putin ordered.
“Before any changes are adopted, colleagues from the government must ensure full technological readiness for the certification system. It must work reliably to protect the health of citizens, and not create unnecessary difficulties for them,” the president stressed.
Sputnik vs. Omicron
The new omicron coronavirus strain has not yet been fully studied and its consequences are unknown. “Some researchers say that this is a milder form, while others talk about the possible severe consequences after people get sick with it,” Putin said. But, according to him, it is already clear today that the omicron is spreading faster. “Therefore, the requirements for revaccination are increasing,” the president said.
Sputnik V is the best vaccine against the omicron strain, said Vladimir Putin. “Our” Sputnik V “- as it is seen today, specialists will give a final assessment within a week – is working well, perhaps even more effective in combating the” omicron “than other vaccines used in the world,” the president said.
After a quick recovery, we need fast and quality growth. There is a large-scale transformation of the entire economic life
The head of RDIF, Kirill Dmitriev, confirmed that Sputnik V shows high neutralizing activity from the omicron strain. This is evidenced by the data of a study conducted by specialists from the Gamaleya Center. According to him, the Russian vaccine is more effective than Moderna and Pfizer. Another important piece of news is that Sputnik Light may boost other vaccines.
Putin, in turn, noted that Russia can provide its vaccines to other states, including Europe, “if, of course, they have such a need and desire.” “Sputnik Light” for those countries that would like to use it for booster vaccination, we are ready to provide, we have accumulated sufficient volume so that we can share with other countries, “he said. offer the vaccine to countries that cannot afford to buy it.
From recovery to growth
The Russian economy has recovered from the effects of the pandemic. Putin said that it has reached the pre-crisis level. “Employment figures have also returned to 2019 values,” the president said. Now a new stage awaits the country. “A large-scale transformation of the entire economic life is ahead, this is digitalization, and the environmental agenda, and the creation of virtually new industries,” Putin said.
The President urged without pause to achieve a transition to long-term, high-quality growth. “For this, we have solid state resources and good business potential, first of all, from the flagships of our economy,” the president said. So, today the financial indicators of most large companies have gone up. “The profit of organizations is growing, especially in industries that are now receiving a good” bonus “from a favorable, high situation in foreign markets,” Putin said.
Wages are also growing, and not in nominal terms, but in real terms. The President also drew attention to the fact that significant resources are allocated to the payment of increased dividends to shareholders and urged not to “spray” and “not eat up” the steady cash flow that Russian leading companies are now receiving. “If you look at it for a long time, such a temptation will turn into a loss, a decrease in the competitiveness of domestic business in global markets, which are now rapidly changing. And you and I must think strategically and see the development prospects,” he urged.
How to support a business
Yulia Simbireva, head of the committee for the development of small and medium-sized businesses of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, told the president that entrepreneurs are asking to keep the support measures for 2021 for the next year, such as grants and loans at a preferential interest rate, or with a possible zeroing if certain conditions are met … The government is working on this, Putin said. “I said at the beginning that there is a fight against the pandemic, the situation remains difficult, and there are certain limitations. And we must think about how to support small and medium-sized businesses next year,” he said.
In addition, Putin said that it is necessary to strive to solve the problem of digital inequality in the country by 2024-2025. Commenting on the proposal of one of the participants in the congress to direct additional funds for these purposes, the President noted that the budget of the Russian Federation next year, “thank God, will be in surplus.” But the matter is not in the sources of funding – it is necessary to work out the mechanisms for resolving such issues.
Ecology: reduce emissions
On the environmental agenda, Russia should not be led by all the proposals formulated by its Western partners. After all, the goal is to preserve nature, and not to create the best competitive conditions for someone.
Putin noted that Europe is proposing to introduce all the new rules that are difficult to achieve for developing economies. The President believes that the requirements should apply fairly to all participants in world economic life and take into account different levels. “After all, the industrialized states are responsible for the accumulated emissions into the atmosphere, and they must take on the greatest burden in order to solve this problem,” he said. Otherwise, it seems to be some new kind of ecological neo-colonialism, Putin said.
At the same time, big business should not postpone the solution of environmental problems: “We have exhausted the time limit, we need to achieve results.” Putin stressed that there is no goal to stifle the economy and industry for the sake of solving these problems, but one should proceed, among other things, from a sense of responsibility for the future generation in terms of preserving the climate.
Putin drew special attention to the fact that the problem with the environment in the 12 most polluted cities of the Russian Federation must be resolved. “We must think first of all about ourselves, about our people, about our citizens. In twelve cities, there is simply a problem with emissions, and we must solve it at all costs,” the president said. In general, Russia’s achievement of carbon neutrality by 2060 is absolutely realistic plans, Putin said.
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