Opinions & Interviews

Digital economy seen as part of Belarus national strategy

MOSCOW, 15 March (BelTA) – Digital economy has become part of the Belarusian national strategy, Belarus' Deputy Prime Minister Igor Petrishenko said as he took part in the international economic forum “CIS: Digital Economy – Integration Platform”, BelTA has learned.

Igor Petrishenko pointed out that Belarus president’s ordinance on digital economy of December 2017 became a major step in the country’s digitalization. Its adoption created conditions for dynamic IT development and offered advantages to draw new technologies, investment, top specialists and companies from all over the world, which are able to open their branches in the Belarusian Hi-Tech Park, the largest IT cluster in Eastern Europe, and enjoy preferential tax and legal regime.

The deputy prime minister noted that digitalization is the priority for all economic sectors. Belarus has been consistently working to develop e-government, e-services to households and business, and the national integrated service and settlement system. He also mentioned that Belarus rose to the 38th position in the United Nations E-Government Survey 2018, vaulting 11 positions up over 2016.

On 15 March, the Belarusian delegation headed by Igor Petrishenko took part in the session of the CIS Economic Council in Moscow. The participants approved of the draft CIS Information Security Strategy developed with Belarus’ participation.

Consumer rights in e-commerce were also high on the agenda of the CIS Economic Council session. The participants discussed cooperation between customs authorities of the CIS countries to protect intellectual property rights, amendments to the agreement on customs clearance and control of goods shipments within the CIS free trade zone, and the agreement on transit in the CIS countries.

The parties exchanged opinions on the draft interstate innovation cooperation program until 2030. The members of the Economic Council heard a report on the role of national reinsurance companies in developing reinsurance markets in the CIS countries based on Belarus’ and Russia’s experience.

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