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Livanov praises new edition of Academy reform bill adopted by State Duma

Medvedev said earlier that the adoption of a bill on reorganization of the Russian Academy of Sciences in the second reading had been long-awaited for him

MOSCOW, July 5 (Itar-Tass) - The Russian Ministry of Science and Education is satisfied with the new edition of the on reorganization of the Russian Academy of Sciences which the Russian State Duma has passed in the second reading, Russian Minister of Science and Education Dmitry Livanov said on Friday.

"We are satisfied with the version that was adopted in the second reading. It preserves all the fundamental provisions: the separation of property and financial functions is regarded as extremely positive. A renovated academy will be created on the basis of three existing academies while academic institutes will be run by a special academic institutes agency which is currently being created,” Livanov went on to say.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said earlier on Friday that the adoption of a bill on reorganization of the Russian Academy of Sciences in the second reading had been long-awaited for him. “This is certainly a long-awaited event,” Medvedev told a meeting of the Council on improving the competitiveness of Russian Universities.

The Russian State Duma plenary meeting, the last in the spring session, passed a bill on the Russian Academy of Sciences reform in the second reading on Friday by 344 votes with one abstention. No deputies voted against the document.

The Russian government submitted a bill on reorganization of the Russian Academy of Sciences on June 28. The Duma adopted it in the first reading on July 3. The debates were accompanied by rallies and pickets set up by Russian scientists. The Communist Party of Russia faction demonstrably left the Duma plenary meeting last Wednesday in protest against the bill’s accelerated consideration. They also boycotted the plenary meeting on Friday. The deputies, headed by the Russian State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin, held emergency consultations with members of the Russian Academy of Sciences who were headed by the Academy’s newly elected President Vladimir Fortov. They literally worked round the clock. As a result, a revised version of reform that takes account of the academicians’ concerns was presented to the Russian State Duma.

The Russian State Duma will consider the bill in the third final reading after its summer recess in autumn. However, debates will continue in summertime at various discussion floors, including the Open Tribune.

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