A roundtable discussion to mark the completion of the development of recommendations for a large-scale regulatory reform of business practices in Kyrgyzstan, hosted by the Kyrgyz Government’s Council on Regulatory Reform and the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek, took place at the event to mark the launch of the reform on 18 June in Bishkek.
The finalization of recommendations for a “Systemic Regulatory Reform”, developed during the past three years, is an important milestone for the country. When implemented, the reform will simplify the legal framework for doing business and reduce excessive red tape that hinders private sector growth, the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek said.
The Kyrgyz Minister of the Economy, Oleg Pankratov, Head of the Secretariat of the Business Council under the Speaker of the National Parliament, Umbriel Temiraliev, relevant state bodies, independent experts, the business community, international organizations and mass media participated in the discussion.
For instance, the reform document recommends cancelling many of the requirements for the provision of documents by state bodies in the process of obtaining public services (106 documents in all, 16 certificates and 90 licenses and permits). According to preliminary estimates, this recommendation will facilitate and accelerate the provision of 43 services provided by state bodies, with a potential saving for citizens and businesses in the amount of 433 million KGS, or 5.5 million EUR and 2.5 million hours.
The document also recommends simplifying procedures for obtaining architectural and planning conditions/documents. The proposed recommendation will fully implement the so-called single window principle, whereby a set of documents can be obtained from one state body. The potential saving for businesses is at least 25.2 million soms or 320,000 EUR.
According to experts’ assessment, the expected total saving for businesses and citizens resulting from the proposed recommendations may amount to 2.3 billion soms or 29 million EUR, and 10.8 million hours.
Following the adoption of the Systemic Regulatory Reform, the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek and the government of Kyrgyzstan, in co-operation with the analytical centre BizExpert, will work together to monitor the implementation of the recommendations.
The implementation of some 110 normative-legal recommendations has already started. Another 51 normative-legal acts are under consideration in the Office of the Prime Minister, the National Parliament, and the President’s Office.
