"Global Plan" for Small Business

What path of development will be indicated by bureaucrats?

The Ministry of Economy intends to create a Development Strategy for Small- and Midsize Business up to 2030.

Its objective is to "create favorable conditions for functioning of business," Zautra Tvaie Krainy writes.

Working group participants are adopted. The Deputy Minister of Economy Iryna Kastsevich will be in charge.

Does the Belarusian business need a strategy? Perhaps, the resolution of current problems is more relevant and important.

In words of expert of the Liberal club Anton Boltochko, the initial stage of the Strategy already raises questions.

- I believe that it must be public from the very beginning up to the very end, he says. –Yes, it is stated representatives of the Ministry of Economy and business unions, as well as the International Finance Corporation will work on creation of the document.

The expert believes such a strategy must be discussed more widely: on various grounds, inter alia, with participation of representatives of successful projects of small and medium business as well.

The economist is puzzled why the government has come up with the idea only now.

- In the situation when the business is hard to predict even for six months, it is looks comic to develop the strategy up to 2030, the analyst stresses.

The expert also has doubts whether the document to be implemented.

- First of all, business needs equal conditions with public companies. However, they still exist in different universes, he points out.

There is one more condition which needs to be implemented to make the development of small- and mid-size business possible: "to leave it in peace."

- The business should have a chance to work. If these two conditions are implemented, the situation will change for the better in a year, Anton Boltochko foretells.