Meeting to discuss licensing of certain types of activities

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko convened a meeting to discuss licensing of certain types of activities. The bill to amend licensing laws prepared by the Economy Ministry has been submitted for consideration.

“I believe this issue is very important and relevant for the country,” the Belarusian leader noted.

He asked the MPs to give serious attention to this issue: “Above all, the MPs need to shake themselves up. They are capable people. They should sit down together with the stakeholders and work through this bill. And not just look at ‘amendments and additions’ but take a comprehensive look at this law.”

The proposed innovations include the introduction of licensing for additional education of children and youth and for the installation and maintenance of intercoms, and also changes to the requirements for medical workers in the private healthcare sector.

The head of state proposed discussing the most contentious novelties in the document in order to determine approaches to its further refinement in Parliament.

Speaking about the very term “licensing”, Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that it is a kind of set of rules of the game. “At its core lies permission. If you have a license, you go and work. There can also be restrictions,” he said. "It must be understood that if we are talking about restrictions, they are a forced measure and must serve the good, not work to harm. The task is to protect people's lives and health and to ensure the security of the state. Here we should not be afraid: it’s not excessive regulation when it comes to serious matters.”

According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, the law needs to settle the scope of licensing, including by studying the practices of other countries. “This law must be approached with the utmost seriousness. That is why I insist on reworking it entirely, not just amending and supplementing it,” the Belarusian leader emphasized.

“Licensing is not an end in itself. Any type of activity can be over-regulated. But excessive barriers, insufficiently balanced decisions, even poorly drafted wording can have a very adverse effect on both people and the economy,” the President noted. “Parliament and the government must clearly see the consequences of their decisions. It is important not to allow innovations that cater to departmental interests and could provoke a fair negative response in society. That, too, must be taken into account. But that is not the main thing. If it is necessary, then it is necessary. We need to understand how it will work in practice, and not only in Minsk but in a remote village as well. The law is the law.”

Summing up, the President once again set out the main approach: “We must not substitute administrative barriers for solving problems where they are not needed. More attention should also be paid to the results of public discussion of bills. Drafts that have been fully put to the judgment of the public should be submitted to the President. This is important too - to have a certain conclusion on how people perceive particular bills before they become laws. Legislation should be as stable as possible.”

Aleksandr Lukashenko outlined his approach to the introduction of licensing for supplementary education for children and young people.

“For a number of years, we have been consistently fine-tuning state regulation of educational activity. Let me emphasize: fine-tuning, not tightening the screws, as unscrupulous media or pseudo-experts who have fled abroad sometimes try to present it,” the head of state said. “Under no circumstances should we be looking over our shoulder too much. We must do what is beneficial for our state. Of course, we will always take opinions into account.”

“The issue of licensing in education must be settled once and for all,” the President said.

“The main requirement in this matter is to protect our children from all sorts of swindlers and to ensure equal working conditions for both state and private entities,” the President said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized that education is a nation-building sector. “That is why we will regulate it with national interests in mind. Whether anyone likes it or not,” the Belarusian leader said.

The President asked for a report on how licensing in education has performed so far and whether order had been restored in the sector. Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that the criteria for obtaining a license must be clear and understandable for everyone, and asked what measures were planned to avoid unnecessary tension both in the sector and in society.

One of the proposed changes involves introducing mandatory licensing for intercom installation and maintenance. The measure is part of a draft amendment law on licensing prepared by the Ministry of Economy.

The head of state pointed out that intercoms are installed in almost every apartment building entrance across Belarus, meaning their total number nationwide is substantial.

Aleksandr Lukashenko also focused on how intercom maintenance would be handled in medium and small towns, as well as by public utility companies. “Will they be able to meet all the necessary requirements and get licenses on time? Won’t this lead to service disruptions and higher costs for the public?” the President inquired.

The bill to amend the licensing laws prepared by the Economy Ministry, proposes, among other things, changing the requirements for work in the private healthcare sector. For example, it would increase the required length of service in a state institution from 3 to 7 years and make it mandatory to hold at least a first qualification category, including for mid-level medical workers.

“Many people have doubts about the advisability of the proposed changes to the requirements for working in the private healthcare sector,” the head of state said. “Does it mean that state organizations are becoming a springboard for private business? Or not?”

The President asked whether there was any analytical data on how many medical workers leave for commercial organizations and for what reasons.

“Is this migration of healthcare workers to private practice happening everywhere? How will the proposed measures help strengthen the staffing reserves of state healthcare institutions?” Aleksandr Lukashenko asked. “On the other hand, if we leave everything as it is, to what extent will private medicine be involved in addressing the social tasks of the state? And more broadly, how does public-private partnership work in this sector?”

“In general, we need to take a look at both state and private healthcare. We always talk about equal conditions and so on. But are the conditions really equal? Probably here, too, some of it comes down to pricing, to price,” the head of state added.