OREANDA-NEWS. June 17, 2008. The comprehensive services sector development programme of the Republic of Belarus 2006-2010 will be high on the agenda of a session of the Presidium of the Council of Ministers on June 17. The session will be chaired by First Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Vladimir Semashko.

The session will review the course of implementation of the programme in 2007 and in Q1 this year. The session will also discuss the goals for 2008 and mid-term perspective. The task is to create the environment for the services sector to grow faster than the manufacturing sector. The service sector is projected to grow at the pace of 18-25% to reach a 46-48% share in GDP by 2010.

In 2007 Belarus met the services growth targets in the communication, banking, advertising, culture, education, medicine, tourism and other sectors. At the same time the services sector accounted for 40.9% of GDP, which was below the target of 43-44%. In Q1 2008 the services sector accounted for 40.8% of GDP.

Last year the export of services was up 34.4%, well above the target of 9.6%. In January-March 2008, the export was up 33.8% (the 2008 target is up 40%). The service export targets were met by all governmental bodies except for the Ministry of Architecture and Construction and Transport Ministry. Among the oblast authorities it was only the Brest and Mogilev oblast that hit the export targets.