The head of state noted that in the forecast documents the government proposes to focus on social stability and the tasks that ensure it, namely: income growth, control of prices for socially important goods, housing construction, control of unemployment. “The approach is conceptually correct,” the president said.
Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed that the task of price control should not only concern food products: “Who said that a refrigerator and a washing machine are not important products for the population? They are. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a mechanism to curb prices in all areas and parameters. Now it turns out that we control the farmers only (prices for food and clothes), and everyone else feel relaxed. It still somehow affects the pricing in agriculture, for food. We have talked about it a lot. We have already developed the practice of controlling prices and curbing inflation.” Trade unions, local councils and MPs are also involved in the process.
“Given the current events taking place both outside and inside the country, it would be reckless to make any ambitious plans for next year. On the other hand, falling behind the achieved level is unacceptable neither socially, nor economically, or politically. I would like to warn the government, governors and all others who will be implementing the decisions on social and economic development: complains that we have a pandemic and the entire economy in the world has stopped and we have no one to work or trade with will not be accepted. Forget about it. Yes, the pandemic is an unpleasant background. We however need to set ourselves goals and, no matter what it takes, achieve them. I demand only one thing: we need to secure positive momentum in all the areas. Each step must necessarily meet two requirements: economic efficiency and careful and attentive attitude to people's needs,” the head of state said.
The president emphasized the need to ensure maximum employment of unemployed citizens. “I would like to stress once again the need to address the unemployment issue at the local level (the oblast executive committees and, first of all, the Minsk City Hall). All the unemployed should be registered with the corresponding services and get employed. I repeat, no matter how unpopular it may sound: today a non-working person is not just a street protester. They are future criminals who commit crimes every day, every week, every month, and we spend huge amounts of money to solve these crimes, and keep these criminals in prisons,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
The president asked whether the country has the necessary resources to ensure social focus in the forecast documents. “All the more so that the economic growth will largely depend on the ways to increase domestic demand. This is the right thing to do. Of course, we should meet the domestic demand ourselves. Who will finance it and how? Won't we destroy the stability and balance in the economy? We need to be careful. If we maintain the level of social security next year at the current level, it will be good. If we make progress, it will be very good. What are the investment projects planned for the coming year, and how do they relate to the development of territories and cities with a population of over 80,000 people?” Aleksandr Lukashenko asked.
The head of state expressed concern about the process of budget formation. “It is for the second year in a row that there has been made a proposal to plan a budget deficit. On the one hand, certain budget surplus of the previous years has been accumulated. On the other hand, it is impossible to live on reserves for a long time. What are you planning to do to address this issue?” asked Aleksandr Lukashenko.
The president also singled out medium-term planning as one of the important issues of the meeting: what results the country has achieved ahead of the new five-year period. Aleksandr Lukashenko expressed confidence that ahead of the Belarusian People's Congress it is necessary to name not only the achievements but also to analyze the shortcomings.
According to the head of state, the government, together with a wide range of government agencies and experts, has developed five priorities: improving people's living standards, strengthening the country's economic potential, digital transformation, regions and the formation of development institutions. “Do they cover all the current problems and what are the prospective tasks? Will they help unite the society so that everyone (including those with alternative viewpoints) could see themselves in this large-scale process of renewing Belarus (of course, if they are not blind, they will at least try to see)?” the head of state said.
The documents were generally approved by the president at the end of the meeting. It was noted that earlier the draft budget and the forecast of the country's development for 2021 had been discussed in Parliament, including at the level of specialized commissions. After today's discussion, the documents will be reviewed once again at the expert level with the participation of Belarus Presidential Aide Valery Belsky and representatives of the State Control Committee, the National Academy of Sciences, and, if necessary, the Government and the National Bank. After that, the finalized package of documents will be submitted to the head of state.
