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Putin to hold first meeting of Economic Council Presidium

The Economic Council under the President of the Russian Federation was established in July 2012

© ITAR-TASS/Mikhail Metsel

MOSCOW, November 21. /ITAR-TASS/. The first meeting of the Economic Council Presidium will take place in the Kremlin on Thursday. President Vladimir Putin will chair the meeting where the Council experts will discuss national economic policy priorities for 2014-2015, as reported by the Kremlin press service.

The main reports will deliver the Economic Development Minister Alexei Ulyukayev, Rector of the Academy of National Economy and Public Administration Vladimir Mau, Rector of the Higher School of Economics Yaroslav Kuzminov, as well as President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Alexander Shokhin.

Ex-Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin, dean of St. Petersburg State University, who is also member of the Economic Council Presidium, said in an interview for Itar-Tass that the new structure’s objective was to become a “really effective mechanism, giving findings on key ideas and projects in the sphere of economic development.” “It is very important to organize its work to involve the Economic Council in the discussion of the crucial and sensitive to the investment climate decisions,” he said. The Economic Council Presidium meetings are to be held at least once every two months, in addition, the Council will gather one or two times a year at full strength.

“One of the circumstances, prompting me to agree to join the Council, is that the Russian economy is stagnating, and, of course, it is necessary to look for a way out, because within two or three years we will have a completely different situation in the country. We will lack the resources to meet the economic development and social targets. First of all, I mean the funds — public and private,” Kudrin said. “So today we need ideas how to accelerate growth, only not for a short, but for a long term. It is possible to achieve growth during the year, and then again slide into stagnation,” he added.

The Presidium also includes First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, head of the Accounts Chamber Golikova, head of Sberbank German Gref, governor of Primorsky Krai Vladimir Miklushevsky, Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov, Chairman of the Bank of Russia Elvira Nabiullina and Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin.

The Economic Council under the President of the Russian Federation was established in July 2012, “in order to coordinate activities to ensure sustainable socio-economic development of Russia.” It is currently composed of 33 experts.

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