Vladimir Putin holds a meeting of the Russian Government Presidium

Transcript of the beginning of the meeting:

Vladimir Putin: Mr Kudrin (referring to Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin), would you describe the measures being taken to prepare for the implementation of the budget for 2011-2013? Please, go ahead.

Alexei Kudrin: Mr Putin, today the Federation Council finally passed the federal budget for 2011 to 2013. Now, this budget will be sent to the president for signing. Most importantly, it has been passed through the Federal Assembly, so we have brought this stage to a close.

Regarding the preparation of the budget, I would add the following: total expenditures next year are slightly higher than those for this year and will reach 10.658 trillion roubles. In order for the budget to be put into effect without delay, as of January 1, we still have to enact a number of bylaws in the form of government legislative acts. Typically, an amount of about 400-450 billion roubles was approved in the last two years – last year and this year – not automatically, but after relevant government resolutions were issued. In order for the budget to be fully functional under this plan, we need to issue 133 resolutions, including 117 resolutions this year. Out of this number, four legislative acts have already been submitted to the government for review and approval and 50 legislative acts have been approved by the ministries and will be sent to the cabinet in the coming days. Another 48 legislative acts are being coordinated in the ministries and agencies – they are ready and the ministry is reviewing them according to the established procedure. The ministries have not yet submitted 15 legislative acts for review...
More to be posted soon...
http://premier.gov.ru/eng/events/news/13145/