Putin Chairs Supervisory Board of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives

Thirteen years ago, President Putin formulated the idea and established an internal NGO to aid Russia’s implementation of its National Goals and Projects which was named the Agency for Strategic Initiatives. At its website, it touts itself as: “ASI is an "agent of change" that works together with leaders on large-scale initiatives and unites the efforts of society, business and the state.” Prior to the meeting, Putin toured the current ASI exhibition that promotes the development of the Azov Sea region amongst other projects. (The website’s in Russian.)

Here’s the Kremlin’s description of the tour prior to the meeting, photos at the link:

Before the meeting, the President toured the exhibition "Technological Sovereignty", dedicated to the main activities of the ASI. The exhibition is located on the site "Boiling Point Arbat". This is a special space where lectures, seminars, master classes and business games of the Agency are held. Since 2013, 182 "boiling points" have been created in 71 regions of Russia.

The Head of State got acquainted with the work plans of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives until 2030. The main task is to support the socio-economic development of the regions. The Agency's activities are organized within the framework of five initiatives (social, human resources, technological, environmental and entrepreneurial) and will contribute to achieving the national development goals until 2030 and for the future until 2036. The President was also informed about the methods and classifications used by the ASI to find solutions in the field of ensuring technological sovereignty. The key organization in this area is the NGO "NTI Platform".

Vladimir Putin was also presented with the Strategy for the Sustainable Development of the Azov Sea region until 2040, developed by ASI together with VEB.RF. The document will be implemented in conjunction with plans for the development of four new regions and the modernization of the coal and metallurgical industry in Donbass.

In addition, the President was told about the national cyberphysical platform "Den", aimed at technological education of children through mobile games. [My Emphasis]

I again refer readers to the decree regarding development from 2030-2036 that when combined with ASI’s exhibitions and planning documents show Russia is very serious about starting and completing these projects. By announcing them in advance, Russia hopes to attract both domestic and foreign investment for these projects, and also allows them to be discussed at the various investment forums Russia holds annually. As I said, ASI was Putin’s brainchild as were many other institutions that have fueled Russia’s rebirth as a powerful nation that will become even more powerful as it continues to develop. Yes, all the Eurasian powerhouses remain developing nations, which means they don’t really need the West’s input for anything, although they’d like to retain commercial links and not fall into conflict. This meeting happens annually, but it’s the first time its appeared on my substack, although it’s been reported at my VK previously. Here’s what’s said:

Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, dear friends and colleagues!

The meeting of the Supervisory Board of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives is taking place, as we understand, at a rather crucial moment. As you know, national long-term development goals have been defined. To achieve these goals, new national projects and programs are being formed and prepared for launch.

I would like to emphasize once again that in order to implement the plans outlined and successfully respond to external challenges, we need coordinated actions at all levels of government and, of course, the participation of the entire society, the contribution of almost every citizen to the development of the country.

I would like to emphasize that we will certainly solve the most ambitious tasks, ensure economic growth and, consequently, the well-being of Russian families, if we continue to expand opportunities for our research and production teams, for engineering, entrepreneurial and creative teams, for volunteers and representatives of non-profit organizations and the non-profit sector.

I would like to emphasize here that the Agency's main mission has always been to support promising public, business, scientific and technological initiatives and promote the harmonious development of regions. This is how we formulated it 13 years ago, in May 2011.

During this time, the number of like – minded people and participants in our programs across the country has exceeded a solid figure-10 million people. It is important that in all areas of its activities, ASI closely interacts with regional authorities, the business community and development institutions in a substantive manner.

In this regard, I would like to thank “VEB.Russian Federation”, Igor Ivanovich [, you and your colleagues, your predecessors in this position for your positive contribution to the work of the Agency's expert council, for the formation of mechanisms for the selection and implementation of public projects within the framework of the forum "Strong Ideas for a New time".

On this platform, initiatives of citizens, businesses, and the non-profit sector become part of the state agenda. So, following the February forum, many specific proposals were included in the Message to the Federal Assembly, for which I want to thank you, in the strategic action program, which received the support of almost all the people.

I believe that the leaders of projects of high significance and value for the country and society deserve special encouragement. Therefore, there is a proposal to present them with a special Agency award every year. I would ask you to think about how to do this in the most solemn atmosphere possible, so that it attracts the attention of society and that it finds an appropriate response.

At the same time, I am sure that the main award, a powerful inspiring incentive for active, active people, is real participation in the development of Russia, our regions, cities and towns. Therefore, civil and entrepreneurial initiatives supported by the Agency must necessarily be reflected in national projects. In any case, it is absolutely necessary to strive for this.

I also ask the Government, ministries and departments to synchronize their efforts, work closely together and in partnership with the Agency in all the most important areas of its activities.

This concerns personnel training, environmental well-being, improving the business climate, which we will certainly discuss today, and, of course, the social sphere, where the Agency has significant achievements. Including within the framework of the National Social Initiative, the Agency helps constituent entities of the Russian Federation to form regional plans for increasing the birth rate, and forms measures to support large families based on real-life situations.

Farther. Joint steps in matters of technological development are extremely important. The Agency's experience is also in demand here. Moreover, the first national project of technological sovereignty on unmanned aircraft systems was formed and launched largely due to the contribution of private companies and university teams within the framework of the National Technology Initiative.

I think it is right to involve NTI participants in the development of all national projects of technological sovereignty, and to take into account the opinion of innovators and entrepreneurs when forming plans for the development of advanced industries, mechanisms for advanced training and assistance to technology businesses.

And of course, we must follow the path of developing cooperation with friendly states, with those who want to work with us, create products and innovations that our citizens and economies need together.

Just now, at the exhibition, our colleagues discussed in detail our proposals on all these issues and rightly said that many domestic companies are already leaders in a number of advanced areas and are ready to form their own technological and production chains. This year, as part of Russia's BRICS presidency, we will definitely discuss the Agency's proposals on these topics with our partners and in preparation for the summit itself. We also have contacts with our colleagues through various channels, and these issues can always be discussed in one format or another, and we will work out a joint action plan for the future.

In general, I ask the Agency to actively develop its international partnership, focus on its activities, and participate in promoting the best Russian practices, brands, and projects in the world. And I think you understand this yourself: the more effective we are, the harder it will be for our detractors to restrict us in any way. On the contrary, if effective solutions are offered, they will be taken, despite any restrictions, one hundred percent. The market will build everything. And for the market, of course, we must fight.

At the same time, of course, the issues of our internal agenda, participation in the implementation of national projects should remain in the focus of the ASI's unconditional attention. It is in this logic, taking into account the provisions of the Decree "On National Development Goals", that I ask you to develop and approve an updated strategy for your activities. Now they also talked about this, Svetlana Vitalievna [Chupsheva] told us. I think she will now repeat some things and detail them. This document should define the goals, objectives, and key tools of the ASI's work in the next decade.

Separately, I would like to mention the work of the ASI to improve the business environment.

We have done a lot in the framework of the National Business Initiative (to be more precise, you have done a lot, and it actually turned out well), and we have launched a National Rating of the investment climate in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. We will constantly move forward and increase our efforts, because private initiative and entrepreneurial talent will continue to be the engine of the economy and the development of the country as a whole.

I would like to hear how your joint work with leading business associations on creating a National Model of targeted Business Conditions is progressing. We are talking here about a system of guidelines for a comfortable business environment, which should be joined by all levels of government – from municipalities to federal ministries and departments.

Another important topic that I propose to discuss today is the standard of public capital of business. We agreed from the very beginning that there would be no excessive bureaucracy and no formal reporting. On the contrary, I think it is fundamentally important that a system of real incentives and support tools should be created for companies that make an effective contribution to strengthening technological and industrial sovereignty, create new jobs, take care of employees, implement social and environmental programs, support participants in a special military operation, and sometimes modern cities and new settlements are erected and landscaped. I know that you have such examples. If you think it is possible, it would be good to introduce them.

What I would like to note in conclusion. All our plans, economic, technological, and even more so social, have an important dimension and the most important criterion for evaluating our work – this is the well-being of people.

I think it would be right if the National Rating of the Quality of Life in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, which is formed annually by the Agency, serves as an integral mechanism for evaluating the actions of the Government and regions in implementing national goals. In fact, it affects all key areas: support for families, education, healthcare, environmental well-being, and creating an environment for living in our regions.

Today I propose to hear the results of the rating for 2023. Traditionally, I ask you to pay special attention to the regions of the Russian Federation that have shown high positive dynamics and strive to create and expand opportunities for self-realization of citizens.

Traditionally, the leaders of the rating are Moscow, St. Petersburg, the Tyumen Region, the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, and Tatarstan. But as for the dynamics of growth, I have already mentioned this – these are the Kemerovo Region, the Volgograd Region, North Ossetia-Alania, the Primorsky Territory, and the Ryazan Region. This is good news. Because in these regions there is something to do. And if they show a good pace, it gives us confidence that further development will follow the right path and will achieve the goals that we set for ourselves.

Let's get started. Please, Svetlana Vitalievna, please.

S. Chupsheva: Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich,

Dear colleagues, members of the Supervisory Board,

Vladimir Vladimirovich, before I begin my report on the results of 2023 and plans for 2024, I would like to thank you personally, every member of the Supervisory Board sitting here, because in the 13 years of work of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives, everything that has happened has been thanks to your personal support and the personal involvement of each of those present. Because any project is implemented in partnership with the heads of organizations represented by our supervisory board members, and therefore I will also thank my colleagues more than once in my speeches, because a lot has been done.

Vladimir Vladimirovich, you have noted the contribution of active citizens who came to our forum "Strong Ideas" and offered their ideas, projects and initiatives. I also believe that it is very important to have some kind of format, an award, to annually present people, each person with the results of their activities – how a project is already born from an idea, and how this project affects people's lives, the life of the city and region.

We have such a format, Mr Putin, "People change the country", when we also talk about such creative people in the social sphere, in the field of entrepreneurship, and how their projects affect the development of our country in our media, thanks to our partnership with federal TV channels and their resources. Therefore, we will be happy to give suggestions for organizing such an award on an annual basis.

Vladimir Vladimirovich, I presented a model of the Agency's work until 2030 at the exhibition. I would like to point out once again that, of course, it is important for us to remain a platform where anyone can come and offer an idea or project. And it is very important that thanks to the Agency's work mechanism – and this is also thanks to our expert council headed by Igor Ivanovich Shuvalov-we manage to really put every idea through such an accelerator, through an expert vision, and how any idea can be turned into a strategic initiative or an important project for the country.

You can't imagine how important this is for people who work with the Agency, who hear us today, because many people don't believe us, they say: "Well, how is it? We submit our own ideas, but who needs them? You won't even read them and see them?" Or: "You have all the ideas already selected, specially selected." How important it is to really see this reaction from people who have the opportunity to communicate with you when they see your personal support for their initiatives. And most importantly, after some time they will hear it in your specific instructions or in your Message to the Federal Assembly. This is very extraordinary. I think that we have a lot of caring people in our country who are ready to work here for the implementation of national goals and tasks that are important for our country and for our residents.

I would like to say a few words on each of these areas, Mr President, and then tell you about the new projects that you have also outlined and that have been given the appropriate instructions.

In the social sphere, we are implementing a national social initiative. This is a project that is associated with constant monitoring and improvement of social services and services for our citizens and residents. At that time, you supported the approach that we proposed – to work through the life situations that people face. We have selected 50 priority life situations, the most widespread, the most frequent that people encounter – the birth of a child, job search, loss of health, retirement. For us, it is not the number of references or the number of services that a person receives that is important, but the actual result for a person, the solution of a specific life situation, is really important for us.

Today, we are working on this principle in all regions of the Russian Federation. All regions are implementing the national social initiative. We are implementing the principles of human-centricity and a value-based approach, when the solution of problems and issues that people address is really the result for us.

As a result of this work, new infrastructure is being opened in the regions: day care centers for children with disabilities, multifunctional centers for large families, where you can quickly and conveniently get all public services in a "one-stop shop" mode. Open "friendly organizations": "friendly schools", "friendly clinics", "friendly hospitals". There are social coordinators in the regions who accompany people at all stages of their journey when receiving a particular service in government organizations.

Last time we presented to you and the members of the Supervisory Board the regional social standard as a collection of best solutions and best effective practices. I would like to say that 75 regions are already implementing this social standard. It is fully implemented in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, in the Khabarovsk Territory. Quality of life councils have been established in 34 regions under the leadership of regional heads. And it is very important, Mr Putin, that these councils include residents of the regions, representatives of social non-profit organizations, volunteers, and businesses that work together to develop the social sphere and support priority social projects.

In the Year of the Family, the Agency selects and supports projects and practices aimed at preserving and promoting traditional family values in society: increasing the birth rate, supporting large families. We also select the best effective regional solutions and put them on the Smartek platform, so that this experience is in demand in other regions of the Russian Federation.

I would like to say that we are also actively working with the regions, as you mentioned, to adjust regional plans to increase the birth rate and support large families. We have held such sessions in the Khabarovsk Territory, Primorsky Territory, Lipetsk Region, and Kaliningrad Region, and we are implementing the principle of progressive support for large families together with the regions: the larger the family, the greater the support.

I would like to mention here such a very interesting and good experience of the Central Federal District, Igor Shchegolev. Because initially, even before the adoption of the decree on the status of large families, Vladimir Vladimirovich, everything was interpreted differently in each region, and it happened that in one region there was one categorization regarding transport taxes, and in terms of the tax system-another.

And so Igor Olegovich was the first to start organizing here, putting in order common standards and approaches to the status of large families. This was implemented in the regions of the Central Federal District. Now, too, in the regions of the Central Federal District, all demographic measures aimed precisely at increasing the birth rate are based on the principle of a progressive scale and support measures, when maternity capital is given not only for the third child, but also for subsequent children born.

It is also very important that the criterion of neediness has been removed, Mr Putin, so this is not a social measure of support or prevention of family poverty, but a demographic measure. And here we do not discriminate against a woman based on her wealth. She gave birth to a child, she decided to give birth to another child, and here the regional authorities support this birth. And not only financial instruments, but also organizational ones, including those related to improving housing conditions.

You know, this is such a question, everything that concerns demography, we have repeatedly discussed this with the Government of the Russian Federation, and we have also met with experts. This is a complex task that is beyond the power of a specific department or ministry. And I would very much like the key goal that you also conveyed in the May decrees is to increase the birth rate, increase the birth rate in our country by 2030: - so that this KPI is for every minister, for every governor, for every head of the organization. Because only through such a comprehensive approach can we really provide conditions, support for the family, support for women who are in the process of making a reproductive decision.

We are already seeing improvements, and again, such practices do not exist. Returning to the experience of the Central Federal District, Igor Shchegolev and his colleagues developed a corporate demographic standard. Delo Group of Companies, a large transport company that today encourages employees of its company, where plus one child is born and subsequent ones, with both financial and non-financial support measures.

We want this practice to be national, country-based, so that more companies join in solving this problem, support a woman and a family in solving the birth of one child and the subsequent one. [To become beyond merely patriotic; to become the national way; the status quo by 2040 and beyond.]

Together with the Ministry of Health, we are also continuing to implement a program of motivational questionnaires and support for pregnant women in situations of reproductive withdrawal. We will prepare an appropriate analytical report.

We participate in the development of the family and demographic policy strategy of the Russian Federation until 2030. We hope that our proposals will also be supported by the Government.

In terms of regional development. You have already mentioned such tools as an investment rating, which really helps to create the foundations, the foundation of working with investors in creating a favorable business environment. We are actively working with business associations on this issue. I would like to especially mention the contribution of, Delovaya Rossiya, because today the investment standard is essentially on their shoulders. And with their support, it is being implemented in the regions of the country, and it is precisely Delovaya Rossiya that provides objective monitoring of the decisions that the regions are implementing, and this is an investment declaration, an investment map, and these are the support measures that the regions present to investors today, depending on the volume of their investments.

And I want to say that, as a result, 57 regions have improved their results in the investment rating, and 83 indicators of the rating have shown positive dynamics.

Another important area of regional economic development, and this is also reflected in the national goals, is the creative economy. We work here on your behalf with the Government of the Russian Federation. Together with State Duma deputies and the Ministry of Economic Development, a law on the development of creative industries and the creative economy has been prepared. It has already passed the first reading. We hope that at the next meeting of the Duma it will be adopted in the second reading.

Last year, the Agency became one of the founders of the Universal University – the first private university for training personnel for the creative economy, which is already 20 years old. Today we train in 20 areas of creative industries.

I would like to thank German Oskarovich Gref, who has agreed to head the Supervisory Board of the university. Today, together with Sberbank, we are preparing a development strategy for the university, in fact, the university's role in solving the problem of training personnel and increasing the share of the creative economy in our country's GDP.

Together with the Ministry of Economic Development, we help regions develop their regional climate adaptation plans. Last year, 34 regions developed such comprehensive plans. This year, we are going to develop targeted recommendations for the adaptation of key industries and critical infrastructure in such areas as agriculture and forestry, industrial and transport energy, as well as social infrastructure.

At the exhibition, you were shown our developments on the Strategy of the Azov Sea region, which we prepared as part of your assignment together with VEB.Russian Federation" and under the leadership of Maxim Stanislavovich Oreshkin. Here, too, Mr Putin, we ask that the strategy be adopted by the Government of the Russian Federation and, most importantly, integrated into strategic territorial planning documents and industry strategies. It is important that this document becomes a working document and really brings these effects that we have today. Unique opportunities, the Sea of Azov, the inland sea of the country, and indeed a very huge potential for this macro-region today.

Last year, and this year, we held regional field sessions together with Maxim Stanislavovich Oreshkin and Igor Ivanovich Shuvalov. We visited the Kaliningrad Region, Lipetsk Region, Primorsky Krai, and Khabarovsk Krai, where we met with project leaders and businesses, and discussed promising plans and projects for the development of the regions and the country and some of these proposals were also submitted to you for the formation of national decrees.

The key direction of the Agency is, of course, the development and support of entrepreneurship. And last year, for the first time, the Agency launched a competition for regional brands to support domestic and Russian brands. We presented to you both last year and this year the finalists of this competition. We see huge potential and huge growth. Last year there were 5,5 thousand participants, this year – twice as many.

And the most important thing is the results. As a result of the contest and partner support, our companies ' revenue increased from 50 to 200 percent. Companies enter new markets, companies enter our digital trading platforms, export, companies enter the retail shelves of stores, become accessible to the consumer, and the Russian consumer learns about them. And most importantly, the quality of our Russian products does not fail. From food products to high technologies, there is really something to be proud of here, and there are leaders in these areas.

Young people are increasingly interested in starting their own businesses. This year we also held the federal youth entrepreneurship contest "Create Our Own" together with the SME Corporation. Participants were up to 24 years old, the guys offered their own projects, their own business plans. The winners were selected this year, recently, and they received grants from the Alexey Repik Foundation for Youth Initiatives, as well as the opportunity to complete our acceleration program together with the SME Corporation. We hope that the guys will take their first step in entrepreneurship. And even if something does not work out, it will be a serious experience for them, it will give them the basis for the next project.

Together with business, we are developing the tourism industry-this is the direction of industrial tourism. Thanks to the support of Denis Manturov, more than a thousand enterprises have opened their doors and presented their new sightseeing routes. We are developing legislation in the field of national trails together with the Ministry of Economy, Maxim Gennadievich helps us a lot here, as well as the VEB team.

Mr President, you mentioned today that international cooperation and the potential of international cooperation are important. A development consortium has been established here with the EAEU countries and organizations like us. We see the main tasks on the overall agenda: improving the investment climate in the regions of the EAEU countries, improving the quality of life through the formation of joint standards, regional ratings and best practices. Last year, we held the first international competition "Green Eurasia" on climate-related projects in the field of ecology.

We are also holding a competition of best solutions and practices of the BRICS countries, which will also be held this year. We have about 300 applications from all countries every year, and we choose the best solutions, which can then be replicated and used both on the BRICS and EAEU platforms.

We also discussed it today. Together with Maxim Stanislavovich Oreshkin, we traveled with a delegation to Uzbekistan, met with the President of Uzbekistan, and presented projects of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives. An agreement was reached and an agreement has already been signed on the implementation of a project in the development of unmanned aircraft systems, on the launch of the forum "Strong Ideas for a new time" in Uzbekistan, on supporting creative industries, and on developing inclusive education and creating an inclusive environment for people with disabilities based on the practices and solutions implemented in our country. We hope that this experience will also be broadcast to countries that are friendly to us and open to cooperation.

Vladimir Vladimirovich, as far as the results and groundwork for 2024 are concerned, that's all. If you'll excuse me, I'll then move on to the projects on the agenda.

I would like to present the results of the regional quality of Life rating, which we have been conducting and calculating for the third year now. It really helps us to present the most objective picture of the quality of the living environment every year. These are issues related to housing, infrastructure, security, healthcare, education, social protection, and the environment. Each of these areas is measured using citizen surveys. Last year, we surveyed 463,000 people across the country. Statistics and geoanalytic data are also used. This work is carried out together with the Commission of the State Council of State and Municipal Administration under the chairmanship of Sergey Sobyanin , and the company ANO Dialog also helps us with surveys.

When analyzing the rating, we certainly look at which regions show the best performance in each of the areas, study the experience and form a set of best practices that is available to the regions.

I would like to note that in 2023, such areas as education are showing a positive trend in the whole country. Overall, satisfaction with the process of enrolling a child in kindergarten has increased by 17.5 percent. Satisfaction with enrollment in schools increased by 11 percent, and almost 20 percent – in clubs and sections. In terms of the "Housing, infrastructure and satisfaction with housing conditions" direction, the country grew by 5.5 percent, satisfaction with the availability and equipment of park areas-by almost 8 percent.

In the medical sector, there were improvements in most objective indicators, which reflected an increase in the population's satisfaction; on average, the indicator in the context of medical care increased by 24 percent. There are questions asked, Mr Putin: how long did it take you to make an appointment with a therapist, to make an appointment with a specialist, how long do you wait for an ambulance call, and whether you are satisfied with the medical care you received in the polyclinic or in the hospital when you applied.

I want to say that, for example, in the Novgorod region last year, "polite registrars" were created, MFC employees were involved in work in hospitals and polyclinics of the region, who meet and accompany patients at the entrance to the medical institution, thus medical specialists are not engaged in non-core work. I would like to say that satisfaction with receiving outpatient medical care in the region increased by 46.5 percent, and inpatient care-by 17.5 percent. Initially, this is the practice of Moscow, which is also actively used by other regions.

As for social protection in our country. Satisfaction with receiving social services is 80 percent (an increase of 20 percent), and the level of public awareness of social services has also increased by almost 20 percent.

I would like to mention such an indicator as inclusivity and equality – this is the attitude of society towards people with disabilities, children with disabilities. Here, too, we record an increase in the level of public benevolence towards people with disabilities, as well as an increase in the availability of services and services for people with disabilities.

Public transport. Also, the rating of the quality of public transport on average in the country and satisfaction with trips to another locality increased. For example, in Moscow there is a ticket system for all types of urban and suburban railway transport, which today has greatly simplified daily trips. This system is implemented today in the Moscow region and plus in 25 other regions of our country, including Luhansk and Donetsk. These are the regions where more than 40 million people live.

As you have already noted, the top 5 leaders of the rating were presented on the screen: Moscow, St. Petersburg, the Tyumen Region, the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, and the Republic of Tatarstan. And this year, the Moscow region, Sakhalin and Nizhny Novgorod regions were among the top ten. You have particularly noted the regions that have shown positive dynamics and are actually achieving the best results in the country today. We believe that this is very important – the rating promotes such healthy competition and the exchange of best practices.

Vladimir Vladimirovich, please take note of the results of the rating, and I also ask you here to support and instruct the Government of the Russian Federation to launch an educational program for managers in the social sphere based on the results and practices of the implementation of the national social initiative for the quality of life rating.

I would like to note that this program proved to be effective. We have launched the same program for managers in terms of investment policy and we see that it works and is very much in demand. On this issue, everything.

Moving on, Mr President?

Vladimir Putin: Colleagues, do you have any questions or comments? No?

Please continue.

S. Chupsheva: Standard of social capital of business.

You also mentioned and instructed the Agency, together with business associations, to develop a standard that would mark the contribution of business, the contribution of entrepreneurs to the development of our country, to the development of regions and cities of presence, support and development of issues related to ecology and environmental protection, as well as the development of their employees.

I would like to say, Mr President, that we have not reinvented the wheel here, but we have also studied the best international experience, as well as programs for sustainable development, looked at what motivation systems exist in the regions and business associations today, and again, the RSPP award, which you recently awarded to big business leaders who contribute to the country's development.

We have reviewed the Central Bank's recommendations on sustainable development and corporate governance. The Ministry of Economic Development has developed a standard for sustainable development for business. Therefore, we simply created a mechanic of possible motivations and incentives and an opportunity for companies to join in the implementation of these tasks.

What is the standard today? The standard today consists of five areas that are collected in indicators, statistical indicators, or the availability of certain reports adopted by companies.

The first is the domain or direction related to the implementation and contribution of the company to the implementation of the national development goals of the country.

The second direction is everything that the company does for the development of its employees and for its employees.

The third direction is everything that the company does in terms of developing regions, cities of presence, social policy, and social projects.

Fourth – it is like a business strategy, the company's strategy correlates with the country's strategic plans.

And the fifth direction is just everything that the company does for environmental protection and for issues related to the environment.

For each of these areas, the Ministry of Economy has defined a list of indicators for companies ' reporting, and we propose that within the framework of the public capital standard, in fact, this is declarative, voluntary, that is, it is not necessary for business, it is not a mandatory requirement for entrepreneurs. Companies that generate these reports in this way in accordance with the recommendations of the Central Bank and the Ministry of Economic Development can simply submit the same reports to the platform of the operator that holds this standard, where this reporting is checked, verified, for example, how many points the business has implemented in achieving certain indicators.

Further, the operator's task is to create a pool of support measures at the regional level, both administrative and financial, and at the federal level. That is, the fact that society and the state are ready to celebrate this business today as a sign of gratitude. This applies, for example, to relations in terms of inspections or public procurement.

Moscow has already launched its own register of socially responsible businesses this year. We are working on this with Moscow, and I would like to say that we also have full synchronization of the indicators that are formulated in the region today. The Vladimir region already has such a practice.

As for the operator, the Agency for Strategic Initiatives, together with the Moscow Government, is ready to establish such a non-profit organization. Financial and organizational resources are provided by the Moscow Government. In other words, we are ready to launch this platform this year, and any business, including small businesses, because it has a minimum set of such requirements, can participate and implement this standard. We hope that this will really become such a common practice for our business. Because, Mr Putin, there are a lot of such companies, as you know perfectly well, and you note that many of them are helping both the participants of the Free Economic Zone and the regions today, and they are helping with environmental issues. Therefore, we would like to know such companies, mark them, and see more and more of them. We are ready to organize this work in this way.

Next question: "National model of targeted business conditions". You said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum last year that the policy of openness of the economy is a key principle. Indeed, this principle is reflected today in the actions of the Government, in the decisions taken by the Government. Regulation of foreign trade has been radically simplified. You have recently noted in China how the foreign trade turnover with friendly countries, including China, is growing, and, of course, this also helps us achieve the national goals that you have outlined: an increase in the volume of investment in fixed assets by 2030, which should amount to at least 60 percent compared to the level of 2020 year through continuous improvement of the investment climate.

You also noted that the investment climate assessment should take into account international experience. In other words, we should not just measure ourselves and calm down how good and wonderful we are, but it is important to have international metrics, have access to the best international practices in order to constantly improve our work, the legislative framework and be competitive in a market economy.

For us, one of these evaluation criteria used to be the World Bank rating, and, indeed, our country has made serious progress here. This was also noted by the international community. Russia has become the leader in terms of improving the investment climate, with Russia entering the top 30 from 120th place and taking 28th place.

We have made a lot of improvements in terms of access to obtaining building permits, which has been significantly reduced. Today, registration of property rights takes less than one day, and a number of other issues. Today, we are implementing a national investment rating, an investment standard that also allows regions to move and develop based on best practices.

What kind of model do we want to offer today, a new model, also based on, again, the best international experience? I want to say that the World Bank stopped publishing the Doing Business rating in 2020, there were questions about the methodology. This year they will launch a rating based on a new methodology.

Mr President, we have studied the new methodology of the World Bank and other international ratings that assess the investment climate of countries today, and we propose the following approach for our country. It should be implemented in four stages.

Once again, we have studied the methodology of international ratings and grouped 10 areas that are currently being evaluated in the world. These include business registration, obtaining real estate, connecting to utility networks, labor relations, financial services, international trade, taxation, corporate dispute resolution, market competition, and insolvency (bankruptcy). Each of these areas has a corresponding set of indicators, and each topic is considered in three aspects: the readiness of the legislative framework, standards for the provision of public services, including in figures, and the actual time and financial costs that an entrepreneur meets at each stage.

As part of the preparation of our national model, we propose a four-step approach.

The first is to conduct a comprehensive study of pilot regions based on this methodology, consisting of 10 areas for a certain set of indicators.

The second option is to compare the data of our regions with other countries after the publication of international rankings, which will be held sometime in the fall, to see how we compare with other countries in these areas, in these indicators, and to identify the best values for each of the areas.

And the third is to create target indicators for our regions and for our country based on the best values for each of the rating areas. In fact, this will be the target model.

And then we will be changing the federal legislative framework based on best practices and decisions, and again creating better conditions for investors, businesses and at the regional level. In particular, we expect that we will then need to make appropriate adjustments to the investment rating of the regions and the investment standard in order to ensure the development of this work.

I would like to say that we have already implemented the first stage, Mr Putin. We have conducted such a pilot calculation in four regions: Moscow, the Republic of Tatarstan, the Sakhalin and Nizhny Novgorod regions. The first results indicate that our regions are well positioned in the areas of starting a business, registering enterprises, obtaining real estate, and connecting to utility networks.

Problematic indicators for evaluating a business in the direction of bankruptcy. If we compare, for example, the data of 2021 and 2022, then we would be somewhere in the 118th. And the leading countries in this indicator are Ireland, Japan, and Hong Kong. If our average bankruptcy procedure today takes an average of two years, and sometimes even five years or more, and the financial cost of liquidation is about 1 million rubles, then in the best examples, practices-it is 110-250 thousand rubles.

I would like to say that bankruptcy issues are purely federal legislation. I know that the Ministry of Economic Development has prepared a new bankruptcy law, which is currently under consideration in the Duma. We would also like to ask that this work be shaped in some way, and that this law be adopted. Because, we looked at it, all the solutions that will allow us to move this issue forward are marked there.

Please approve the approach presented to the development of a national model of targeted business conditions and, based on it, implement updating of action plans for changing the regulatory framework for business activities and transforming the business climate. The holder of this mechanism is the Ministry of Economic Development. This is exactly all that concerns changes in federal legislation.

At the regional level, together with business associations, we will be ready to make appropriate adjustments to the methodology of the national rating and the investment standard.

The fourth question is "On creating conditions for the formation of new cities as territories of high quality of life".

Vladimir Vladimirovich, there are different approaches to the development of the country and the competition of cities in general. Indeed, today agglomerations are becoming such growth points. Our country is big, and again, the pandemic has shown that people can live comfortably in small towns. Some left, but many stayed in small towns, providing themselves with the level of service that they could use there.

We have studied the international experience and the Russian experience of creating a city from scratch, new cities in general. The experience of the Vladimir region – Dobrograd-is very interesting. I know you were there, Mr Putin. We have included this experience, in fact, in a set of such decisions and best practices – the "White Paper", which is also presented today to the members of the Supervisory Board: what does the governor need to do to create such a new city, or what does an investor need to do to implement such a project? And most importantly, what will the resident or family receive, what new services and services will they receive in this new city?

First. It is necessary, of course, to determine the concept of the city and its unique offer, to determine the type of city – technological or family-oriented city, to build an economic model of the city, to think through all the necessary infrastructure, to think through the management scheme.

All these steps were implemented in Dobrograd. We are already seeing the economic and, most importantly, social impact of this project. We see great interest not only from residents of our country from other regions who move there, but also from foreigners.

Vladimir Vladimirovich, I know that today we are also connected to the leader of this project, the investor of this project Vladimir Sedov. If you have any questions, I think that he will also answer and comment on the implementation of this project.

Please support the set of practices and solutions described in our White Paper and take our suggestions into account when developing the national project "Infrastructure for Life".

Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: Dear colleagues,

Do you have any questions or comments for Svetlana Vitalyevna? No?

Dmitry Nikolaevich, please.

Dmitry Peskov: Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, Dear colleagues! Very briefly.

The implementation of the National Technology Initiative is now entering a new stage, and a really large backlog has been created, with more than 7,600 different technologies. In other words, we have the potential to use the developments that have been created for a large number of programs for transforming industries – from energy to medicine. We will actively develop them.

Indeed, there is a huge interest in our technological developments in other countries. Therefore, in order to jointly develop technological sovereignty with other countries, we have created a special methodology with the active assistance and discussion with experts from Rosatom, Beacp, the Moscow Government, and BRICS TV. The Ministry of Economic Development helped us a lot at the final stage. With the help of the CCI, we now want to create a separate working group within the BRICS Business Council, which would actively support this logic at the level of businessmen.

In terms of our internal tasks, what is the most interesting thing that happened last year? We already understand that technological sovereignty must be paid for, that it costs money. When we look at investment projects, we usually, in the classic way, measure them by two factors-risk and profit. We are now learning to measure them not only by risk and profit, but also by introducing a third investment fact, namely: does this project lead to the achievement of technological sovereignty or not? And then the models look different, and the companies also look different. But we have learned not only to support them, but also to create them, and over the past year we have created several companies that are potential national and international champions in new markets.

The first such company was created on the basis of STLC – BAS LLC, the largest drone operator in the country today. As we joke, this is the "unmanned " Aeroflot"," Dronoflot " sometimes as a joke we call it. By the end of the year, this is already more than 400 vehicles in operation, that is, this is already a serious scale.

In July, we invite everyone, we will have exercises on their use on Sakhalin, and we will consider the economy, that is, learn to fly, understand how, how much a drone earns in each direction, when it helps build, when it extinguishes fires, when it carries cargo. Together with the Moscow Federal Center "BAS", we will publish methodological recommendations for all regions in each direction, so that we can already learn how to translate this into commerce and really make money on it.

The second such sky monitoring company was created on the basis of the Phystech ecosystem with the most advanced digital developments. The third one is being discussed with our colleagues from Moscow, which means that we are gradually putting them on the assembly line.

The internal goal that we are discussing is that we understand that public funding alone is not enough, and we would like to set ourselves a goal of launching up to ten companies of this type for IPO by 2030, attracting private money, and starting to "grow" the next generation of technology champions.

Of course, we know that the main shortage for all this is personnel. We need a new generation of engineers, and the shortage is incredible. Again, our experience has shown that we have learned how to create such programs based on advanced markets.

For example, just three years ago, we had only three teams in our country (youth and student) that created underwater robotics at the international level, that is, there were no more than three teams in competitions. We scaled this practice, took the best, and created a competition system. We now have more than 35 teams and, accordingly, several hundred talented young guys who are able to create the most advanced models in the world. We confidently say that they are cutting-edge, because they still win international competitions in underwater robotics.

In order to promote it... the main problem is the motivation of the guys. They, of course, have been using smartphones since childhood. We understand that this is in some sense inevitable, and we have come up with the cyber-physical platform "Den". What is it? This is a fantasy world: good-natured but high-tech bears, a distant future similar to the Russian Empire, in which there was no revolution, and the child can choose a role in this world, within this role he starts playing games on a smartphone. This is a unique case when we call on all parents not to ban smartphones, but to allow them to play these games on a smartphone, because they [children] learn programming, learn to solve engineering problems, and cooperate with other children during the game. And then, when they come to school, to clubs, they develop these skills. Gradually, the tasks become more complex, and we offer them a dream: then companies can connect, set their goals for them, and "hunt" them on this platform. For each [participant], we see their potential and offer them more and more complex, interesting tasks.

Once again, we invite all parents to install such games on their children's smartphones. The first two games are already available on the RuStore platform in Russia. We hope that this kind of platform will become a fundamentally new type of education for our children, the new engineering generation.

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much.

Please, colleagues, in general, what are your comments on the results of work for 2023 and on the plans for 2024?

A. Kalinin : Can I?

Vladimir Putin: Yes, of course, please.

Alexander Kalinin: Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, Dear colleagues!

It should be noted that all business associations actively participate in the rating of regional executive authorities, in the new standard of public business capital, and in the national model of target conditions. Here, the team of Svetlana Vitalievna [Chupsheva] is in constant contact, we provide [for work] all business associations of experts in the regions, and this allows us to make high-quality products, because only feedback from business allows us to make high-quality products.

I would like to draw your attention to the new ASI proposal on creating conditions for the formation of new cities.

Indeed, new businessmen who have already accumulated capital would like to build cities from scratch. But what is the subtlety? There, in addition to the fact that governors support and mayors allocate land, there is a lot of federal regulation. Dobrograd will also perform, it has only been seeking the status of a city for 12 years. For example, if a river flows for 20 meters – you can't do anything, even build a bridge inside this territory, and so on.

Therefore, this initiative of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives is to create a certain bridge or standard, as we did on the technology of connecting to power grids and other things... There was also a lot of federal regulation. This will allow such projects as… And they, by the way, are profitable, there will be profit, but it will be at the end. Years of regulatory coordination – this can be removed thanks to the ASI's approaches.

Therefore, we ask you to pay attention to this. Of course, we support this new initiative of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you. So, please, someone else? All? The discussion ended. Thank you.

S. Chupsheva: Apparently, I "ate" all the time.

Vladimir Putin: All right, all right.

I think everyone will agree that the Agency for Strategic Initiatives has become a good, serious and effective tool in the country's economic life over the past 10 years of its existence and operation, and it is fulfilling this role quite successfully - with the support, of course, of those present here at our meeting and those colleagues who are not present at our meeting today.

I would like to thank Svetlana Vitalievna [Chupsheva], Dmitry Nikolaevich [Peskov], and everyone involved in the work and development of ASI in general, and wish them success. For my part, of course, I will do everything I can to support you.

Indeed, the support of everyone present is important. ASI is the engine that starts this whole mechanism. I urge you and ask you to support it in the future.

Thank you very much. Success.

A nation that plans most of the components of its socio-political-economy needs an institution like the ASI. The tasks it performs is stupendous and it’s clear that many brilliant people support it and contribute to its successes. I’m sure for most readers this was their first exposure to ASI and what it does. The game idea noted at the end is brilliant—I want to play it. I’d also like to tour the exhibition. Again, ASI’s website where if you have translation software you can see the results of the various surveys and other agency projects. Soviet Era planning agencies were never this sophisticated or dedicated to the general welfare, but IMO readers can see the rationale for ASI’s creation.

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