MOSCOW, October 31. /TASS/. Russia retains its goal to enter Top-20 of the Doing Business rating next year, Economic Development Minister Maxim Oreshkin told reporters.
Earlier on Tuesday at a meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin with the cabinet members, Oreshkin said that Russia has moved up to 35th place from the 40th in the Doing Business-2018 rating, which is annually prepared by one of the World Bank's divisions.
Talking to reporters the minister noted that the Doing Business-2018 did not take into account a number of reforms that were implemented in Russia.
"Indeed, there is a number of reforms that are not reflected in the statistics and in the rating, and we hope that, by the time of publication of this rating next year, these reforms will be taken into account and allow us to significantly move up the rating. The goal of entering the top-2o remains and we will work hard in the next 6-9 months to carry out additional reforms that will help us achieve this goal," he said.
At the same time, the minister noted that now it is becoming more and more difficult for Russia to move up in the rating.
"It is important to understand that now we have entered the zone where competition between the countries is higher. It was much easier to move from 100th to 50th positions in this respect. Now our neighbors and direct rivals are such countries as France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Japan. It is clear that these countries are also trying to improve the quality of business conditions and are trying to move forward. That is why to move forward we need to be better than they are. Roughly speaking, with the current indicators, if all countries had remained at the level they were 5-6 years ago, then we would have already been somewhere around 20 place," he stressed.
Results of the year
In this year’s rating Russia managed to enter the top 30 in such segments as "registration of enterprises" and "lending". Also the country entered the top 20 in such areas as "connection to networks," "registration of property" and "implementation of contracts."
Russia’s weak points are traditionally "international trade" and "obtaining permits for construction."
Oreshkin pointed out that the government does not like Russia's low position in these areas.
"There are two indicators that remain extremely weak and, in fact, unacceptably weak. This is the situation with permits for construction, where we are on the 115th place, and international trade, where we occupy the 100th position," stressed Minister.
Oreshkin added that the World Bank changes the valuation methodology every year, and this year was no exception. At the same time, the change "favorably influenced Russia's position in the rating."
The minister stressed that the place in the rating is important for Russia, but it is not the ultimate goal for the government. "The government's goal to improve the investment climate is in the priority," he said.
Energy Ministry’s comment
On Tuesday, when commenting Russia’s progress in the Doing Business-2018 rating, an official with the Energy Ministry told TASS that further progress in the rating is impossible without solving the problem of providing land plots.
In his May 2012 decrees, Russian President Vladimir Putin set the goal for Russia to reach the 20th position in this rating by 2018. In 2012, Russia was on the 120th place in the Doing Business rating.