News & Events in Belarus

Belarusian president convenes meeting to discuss proposed novelties in licensing

MINSK, 10 September (BelTA) - Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko convened a meeting to discuss licensing of certain types of activities. The bill to amend licensing laws prepared by the Economy Ministry has been submitted for consideration, BelTA has learned.

“I believe this issue is very important and relevant for the country,” the Belarusian leader noted.

He asked the MPs to give serious attention to this issue: “Above all, the MPs need to shake themselves up. They are capable people. They should sit down together with the stakeholders and work through this bill. And not just look at ‘amendments and additions’ but take a comprehensive look at this law.”

The proposed innovations include the introduction of licensing for additional education of children and youth and for the installation and maintenance of intercoms, and also changes to the requirements for medical workers in the private healthcare sector.

The head of state proposed discussing the most contentious novelties in the document in order to determine approaches to its further refinement in Parliament.

Speaking about the very term “licensing”, Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that it is a kind of set of rules of the game. “At its core lies permission. If you have a license, you go and work. There can also be restrictions,” he said. "It must be understood that if we are talking about restrictions, they are a forced measure and must serve the good, not work to harm. The task is to protect people's lives and health and to ensure the security of the state. Here we should not be afraid: it’s not excessive regulation when it comes to serious matters.”

According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, the law needs to settle the scope of licensing, including by studying the practices of other countries. “This law must be approached with the utmost seriousness. That is why I insist on reworking it entirely, not just amending and supplementing it,” the Belarusian leader emphasized.

“Licensing is not an end in itself. Any type of activity can be over-regulated. But excessive barriers, insufficiently balanced decisions, even poorly drafted wording can have a very adverse effect on both people and the economy,” the president noted. “Parliament and the government must clearly see the consequences of their decisions. It is important not to allow innovations that cater to departmental interests and could provoke a fair negative response in society. That, too, must be taken into account. But that is not the main thing. If it is necessary, then it is necessary. We need to understand how it will work in practice, and not only in Minsk but in a remote village as well. The law is the law.”

Summing up, the president once again set out the main approach: “We must not substitute administrative barriers for solving problems where they are not needed. More attention should also be paid to the results of public discussion of bills. Drafts that have been fully put to the judgment of the public should be submitted to the president. This is important too - to have a certain conclusion on how people perceive particular bills before they become laws. Legislation should be as stable as possible.”

 

Belarus’ economy minister details president’s orders to refine licensing laws

MINSK, 10 September (BelTA) – Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has ordered a revision of the proposed licensing reforms, Economy Minister Yuri Chebotar told journalists following a meeting with the head of state on 10 September, BelTA has learned.

The meeting with the president focused on the licensing of certain types of activities. A draft amendment law on licensing, prepared by the Ministry of Economy, was submitted for consideration.

According to Yuri Chebotar, Belarus currently licenses 38 activities, which can be broadly categorized into four groups. The first group covers public health and life protection; the second deals with financial sectors; the third focuses on public safety and legal protection; and the fourth addresses national security. Changes were proposed for 28 of these activities. Following the discussion, the president ordered a revision of the proposed licensing reforms.

In refining these approaches, the president mandated that the innovations be discussed with the public and industry experts. Furthermore, any proposed measures must address specific goals within the licensing sector. Additionally, officials considered more actively engaging line ministries and agencies in the decision-making process.

“The president gave very clear and substantive instructions: do we really need to regulate all these activities under the licensing law, or should we look at them through the lens of industry-specific regulation?” Yuri Chebotar said.

Another issue raised at the meeting concerned the very definition of “licensing” – whether it acts as a restriction or creates favorable conditions for business entities. “Ultimately, we view licensing as a way to create conditions primarily for fair competition among businesses. We worked through the proposed changes and amendments to ensure that it becomes easier for businesses, while giving citizens confidence that the relevant services are provided comprehensively and professionally,” the head of the Ministry of Economy noted.

In general, core licensing matters in Belarus are regulated by a corresponding 2023 law. At the meeting, Aleksandr Lukashenko focused on a legal loophole in this legislation. Currently, if any ministry issues a departmental regulation affecting a licensed activity, matching amendments must subsequently be made to the primary licensing law itself.

“Tomorrow, we might pass a departmental regulation that triggers a need for amendments to this primary, fundamental law on licensing. Then, we will keep passing secondary legislation, other acts, and so on, each requiring changes to the main law. As a former lawmaker, I don’t really understand why this is necessary. It’s pure formality,” the president emphasized. “If we introduce a certain rule in a new departmental act, we already know it will require updating the main law. The question is how to avoid this constant loop.”

The head of state challenged parliamentarians to find a way to prevent the primary licensing law from needing revisions every time a departmental regulation is passed. “How do we avoid this unnecessary work? We need a broader interpretation of the main law so we don’t have to constantly resubmit it for review. We could even go as far as repealing the law entirely, leaving everything to departmental regulations – if we are ready for that. Think about it, this is a task for parliament and for you,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said, addressing the economy minister as the initiator. “It is a theoretically important issue that translates directly into practice.”

During the meeting, Yuri Chebotar also noted that since 2023, licenses have transitioned to a digital-only format, eliminating the need for paper documents. As a result, the government and various organizations have reduced their expenses for storing, printing, and duplicating licenses. While business entities can still request a hard copy, no such requests have been made over the past three years. Consequently, the economy minister announced plans to move all licensing paperwork entirely online through the unified license register by 2030.

“If there’s no problem, that’s fine. But we must ensure we don’t leave behind people who still rely on paper documents. If life has moved past it, that’s understandable. But what if it’s still needed?” Aleksandr Lukashenko said, stressing the importance of a common-sense approach to digitalization.