OREANDA-NEWS. November 19, 2009. Belarus plans to abolish licensing of retail trade, public catering, audit, travel business, etc. A relevant draft presidential ordinance is under consideration, Andrei Chumakov, Head of Ernst & Young’s Tax & Law Practice in Belarus said.

The draft ordinance abolishes licensing of hunting and fishing businesses, the activity of insolvency practitioners, procurement and processing of timber, organization of electronic interactive games, procurement of foreign workforce, inland water and sea transport, forwarding business, design and construction of buildings and structures of the I and II levels of responsibility and distribution of legal information.

According to Chumakov, the ordinance adjusts some operations and services subject to licensing, for example, the list of licensable activities that presuppose the use of natural resources and environmental modification may lose such activities as the study of underground resources, mining operations, construction of mining holes, and environmental audit. Also, trust management of securities may be excluded from professional and exchange activities with securities subject to licensing. It is planned to exclude mediation activities in voluntary insurance and reinsurance from the “insurance activities” section. The ordinance may exclude design and production of aviation equipment, repair, modernization and refitting of aviation equipment, and maintenance of aviation equipment from the aviation business. The “medical activities” section may become shorter because of the exclusion of the licensing of production and sale of medical equipment and medical products. Licensed automobile transportation activities may also be adjusted, as it is planned to abolish licensing of internal road transport and international road transport by vehicles with certain capacity.

The document also modifies the structure of some licensed activities: industrial safety activities may have a new activity, namely, safety operations in the use of nuclear power and ionizing radiation sources.

According to Chumakov, licensees need not apply for changes in their licenses, as all changes may be introduced when the licensee applies for extension of the license or any other modification.

Also, the licensee will have two months to adapt to the new licensing conditions. Licensees performing activities that will not be subject to licensing after the ordinance comes into effect may have to return their licenses to relevant authorities by August 1, 2010.