Government and private businesses agree to cooperate more intensively

28 мая 2014

For the first time Belarus holds a Congress devoted to public-private partnership. Businessmen from different countries arrived in Minsk with the experience gained over decades and specific proposals. Within 3 days of the Congress international experts will evaluate the public-private partnership in Belarus and propose ways to strengthen it.


Our country looks at the experience of such countries as Switzerland, Russia, Britain and China, but at the same time chooses its own development model.


The republican budget can master 30 % of infrastructure projects, the rest should be given to business. According to this formula the government sees the development of public-private partnership in Belarus in the coming years - stated the Minister of Economy Nikolai Snopkov.


Interaction between business and government institutions provides benefit to the state, business and every Belarusian.


Turazh Etezadi, managing director (Switzerland): The picture looks promising. The main thing now is to identify the needs that exist in Belarus in terms of infrastructure and to identify those projects that are possible to be realized - and I hope that in the coming years several projects of public-private partnership will be implemented with the same success as in Switzerland and the United Kingdom.


51 % of all public-private partnership projects in the European Union relate to the social sphere: health, education, social service.


This partnership does not mean privatization of services. In this mechanism, the state remains the owner of the infrastructure and carries responsibility for the quality of services on it. The concept of the project and the initial plan are also the duty of the government. Further the conditions are discussed. And then the businessman finances, designs, builds, operates and maintains the project.


Public-private partnership is very attractive for the state. When working closely with entrepreneurs you can reduce costs and attract investment.


Over the past 8 years, our state has spent nearly $ 6 billion for investment projects, of which $ 1.5 billion was spent on infrastructure development - primarily, border and customs infrastructure. Investment money is also aimed at car and forest roads, education, health, culture, sport and social housing.


Rumen Dobrinski, manager of the project Strengthening of the national capacity in the use of public-private partnership in the Republic of Belarus: Our experts will simply help your specialists to pass the necessary steps in order to determine in which areas it is advisable to use public-private partnership and which of these projects need to be started as pilot projects. This will depend on the ability to attract private partners and funding.


In June, the draft law on public-private partnership will be introduced in Parliament. And in July Belarusian delegation will visit Switzerland in order to get acquainted with successful projects.