OREANDA-NEWS. August 30, 2011. The action plan that was adopted at the Cabinet of Ministers will reduce the administrative burden for residents and entrepreneurs. It is planned to significantly improve the information flow among the state and local government institutions and entrepreneurs and to promote the development of electronic communication and access to the public administration data as well as to ensure mutual cooperation in drafting of legislative acts.

The plan includes 25 measures aimed at reducing the administrative burden for residents and entrepreneurs as well as optimizing the functions of controlling institutions and proposes changes to requirements set forth in the regulatory enactments. The plan is designed to ensure the access to the information about requirements and criteria set forth in construction procurements thus preventing unpredictability of requirements in the area of construction; to assess the transition from the excise tax stamp in paper form to the digital; to secure the submission of the documents containing e-signature at the public institutions; to improve the information flow between administration and entrepreneurs as well as residents; not to require formal education for persons employed in the area of food turnover, to reduce hygiene training; to simplify the requirements for automatic fire protection systems and devices, and other activities.

Head of the Strategic Analysis Department of the State Chancellery Eva Upite emphasizes that the reduction of bureaucratic obstacles should be continued and duplication of regulatory requirements should be eliminated as well as the need to ensure transparency and simplicity of their application. “The efficiency of these tasks depends on active cooperation of all parties involved where entrepreneurs and representing organizations play a decisive role,” said E.Upite.

The action plan was developed based on the recommendations of the function audit on surveillance of entrepreneurs as well as in close cooperation with experts, entrepreneurs and representatives of public institutions. It is based on the study developed within the framework of the activity “Reduction of the Administrative Burdens and Simplification of Administrative Procedures” of the European Union Funds’ Project. Head of the Working Group for Function Audit R.Osvalde informs that the plan is focused on promotion of national growth and improvement of work of public administration. Consequently, it is planned to implement a set of measures set though mutual cooperation among the ministries, the State Chancellery, controlling institutions, local governments, associations in the sector and entrepreneurs.

Head of the Policy Department of the Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Janis Butkevics is satisfied that it is planned to revise the methodology for evaluation of the impact of the draft legal acts on the entrepreneurship environment. “In everyday work with draft legal acts and representing the opinion of entrepreneurs in the Saeima, unfortunately, I must admit that the impact of the draft legal act on concrete sector or economic development as a whole is not always evaluated. Thus, it is planned to change the situation by implementing this plan and this is the most important benefit for entrepreneurs in the context of these initiatives.”

A substantial part of the recommendations of the function audit will be further implemented within the framework of the Draft Construction Law envisaging facilitated receipt of the construction permits for simple structures, to set different amount of the construction design documents for each group of buildings and by addressing the issue on putting in order or demolishing the neglected buildings. Within the framework of the Plan of Combating the Shadow Economy, it is planned to approve activities on the uniform interpretation and application of norms and the issue regarding the possibility to organize street trading without cash registers.

The action plan for improvement of entrepreneurship environment for 2011 developed by the Ministry of Economics includes several measures providing for reduction of costs associated with business start up as well as time period (up to five days); it is planned to publish the news on the registration and activities of a company in “Latvijas Vestnesis” only in electronic form; to abjure from mandatory issuing of the certificate of registration of entrepreneur or entrepreneur’s branch office in paper form and submission to respective institutions.

The State Secretary of the Ministry of Economics Juris Puce notes that the public administration should not stop at the results achieved in improving the business environment. “Latvia’s objective – to ensure that Latvia as an investment and entrepreneurship-friendly environment ranks not lower than in the 19th place in the study Doing Business 2013,” emphasizes J.Puce.

The draft action plan for reduction of administrative burden for residents and entrepreneurs is available on the website of the Cabinet of Ministers: http://www.mk.gov.lv/lv/mk/tap/?pid=40212484&mode=mk&date=2011-08-23

It is known that in the study of 2011, Latvia ranked in the 24th place among 183 world countries that is three positions higher than in the study of 2010 and in the 9th place among the EU Member States. According to the data of the research Doing Business 2011, Latvia ranks among those countries where the reforms implemented during the last five years have facilitated entrepreneurship. The goal of the Latvian government is to ensure that Latvia as investment and entrepreneurship-friendly environment ranks among TOP 20 countries in the study Doing Business 2013 (the estimates have been made based on indicators of Doing Business 2011).