Talia Minullina: “We set the standard for working with investors”
Interview Tatcenter: https://tatcenter.ru/rubrics/razbor/taliya-minullina-my-zadaem-standart-raboty-s-investorami/
At the end of 2021, the Regional Investment Standard was approved. The head of the Investment Development Agency of the Republic of Tatarstan explains why it was necessary to adopt a special document to work with investors.
The adopted standard is today one of the main tools for improving the investment attractiveness of regions, including our republic. By the way, it was developed based on the experience of regions where they set a high standard for working with investors, including Tatarstan. That is, we can say that the republic’s experience is now being replicated throughout Russia.
The standard includes 5 main elements of common principles and conditions for launching new investment projects:
- Investment declaration,
- Investment Committee,
- Development Agency,
- Investment card,
- Set of investment rules.
The implementation of the standard and its elements ensures transparency in the interaction of investors with government agencies and regulates mechanisms for protecting the rights of entrepreneurs at all stages of obtaining key services and support measures.
The main task of Reginveststandard is to provide businesses with guarantees of stability and equal conditions for working in the region throughout the entire cycle of an investment project - from choosing a location to launching.
— Talia Ilgizovna, when was the Investment Council formed and who heads it?
— In our republic, the Investment Committee is called the Investment Council of Tatarstan. It was formed by decree of the President of the Republic of Tatarstan dated July 5, 2012. The Chairman of the Investment Council is the Governor of the Republic of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov.
The Investment Council of the Republic of Tatarstan acts to protect the rights and legitimate interests of investors, to resolve pre-trial possible disagreements and disputes with the executive authorities of the republic, local governments, authorized organizations on the implementation of investment projects in the territory of Tatarstan that are not resolved by the Investment Development Agency of the Republic of Tatarstan.
— What decisions does the Investment Council make at its meetings?
— At meetings of the Investment Council, large-scale socially significant projects are considered that require land plots for rent without bidding and investment projects at a high stage of readiness for implementation, which require decisions on controversial issues at the level of the republic’s leadership, as well as issues of improving the investment climate. To submit a project or issue related to protecting the interests of an investor to the Investment Council, it must forward it to the Investment Development Agency of the Republic of Tatarstan.
In 2023, 18 meetings of the Investment Council were held, 62 projects were considered for a total amount of 350 billion rubles. Based on the results of the meetings for 2023, 23 orders were issued on the provision of land plots for lease without holding a tender.
— What are the functions of the development agency in this context?
— The Investment Development Agency of the Republic of Tatarstan has been appointed as the development agency in our republic. It is a republican executive body that attracts private investment into the economy of the republic through the implementation of investment projects, including the use of public-private partnership mechanisms.
Project support is carried out by the Agency in accordance with the Regulations for the interaction of subjects of investment activities to assist in the implementation of investment projects in the Republic of Tatarstan on the “one window” principle.
In order to implement the project, the investor is invited to send to the Agency an application for assistance in supporting the investment project, as well as a summary of the investment project.
— Where can I get acquainted with the investment map of the Republic of Tatarstan?
— The investment map of the republic is posted on the Investment Portal of Tatarstan. It gives the investor access to information about the region regarding the distribution of resources, the necessary infrastructure, sites, the availability of preferential regimes (territories of priority development, special economic zones) for the implementation of investment projects.
The updated investment map was launched by the Agency in March of this year. Now it offers new tools for selecting a location for a project, as well as a personal account in which it is convenient to store the history of the selection of objects.
— The set of investment rules presupposes certain algorithms for the actions of the investor and the authorities and resource supply organizations included in the process in order to reduce the project implementation time. Which departments are responsible for what?
— The most significant element of the standard in terms of its content is a set of investment rules. These are algorithms for the actions of government agencies, municipalities, resource supply organizations and investors themselves regarding the most important services that are required when implementing investment projects, including: issuing a construction permit, putting facilities into operation, connecting to electricity, gas, and heat networks. , water supply and sanitation, obtaining land plots for rent.
In order to minimize administrative barriers for investors, the “End-to-End Investment Flow” project was created. It implies 9 algorithms of investor actions, where one or another executive body from those who work most with investors is included in the process.
- Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Republic of Tatarstan: “Connection to electrical networks (up to 150 kW; over 150 kW, go in 2 directions);
- Ministry of Construction, Architecture and Housing and Communal Services of the Republic of Tatarstan: “Connection to gas distribution networks” and “Connection to water supply and sanitation facilities”;
- Ministry of Land and Property Relations of the Republic of Tatarstan: “Connection to heat supply networks”, “Obtaining permission to put a facility into operation”, “Obtaining a construction permit”, “Obtaining a land plot at auction”;
- Investment Development Agency of the Republic of Tatarstan: “Obtaining a land plot for rent without bidding.”
— What is the key goal of the “End-to-End Investment Flow” project?
— The Republic of Tatarstan was included in the number of observer regions, assigning the Nizhny Novgorod region as a pilot region. The project is being implemented under the direct supervision of the First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Andrei Belousov with the methodological support of the Rosatom State Corporation.
The key goal of the project is to shorten the investor’s path from the idea to making an investment.
In other words, with the help of introducing lean production principles in the region, reserves must be found to reduce the time and resources spent on preparing and implementing an investment project, including going through all the key procedures for the investor.
Since October 2022, working groups have been formed in Tatarstan, headed by relevant ministers and heads of departments, which collectively include more than 90 people (including representatives of the regional executive authorities, local governments, resource supply and other organizations), work has been carried out on mapping investor action algorithms, and 22 working sessions.
Reference
As part of the work, representatives from:
- resource supply organizations: Grid Company JSC, Gazprom Transgaz Kazan LLC, Vodokanal Municipal Unitary Enterprise of Kazan, Kazenergo JSC, Tatenergo JSC;
- executive committees of the city of Kazan and the city of Naberezhnye Chelny, Almetyevsky, Zelenodolsky and Vysokogorsky municipal districts;
- Department of the Federal Service for State Registration, Cadastre and Cartography of the Republic of Tatarstan;
- State Tariff Committee;
- State Budgetary Institution “Road Safety” in Kazan;
- State Public Institution “Center for Digital Transformation of the Republic of Tatarstan”;
- State Budgetary Institution “Institute of Spatial Planning of the Republic of Tatarstan”.
— What are the intermediate results of the implementation of the Reginveststandard system in the republic?
— It must be said that, of course, the federal government today is making huge strides towards the investor, and the standard system is part of this work.
First of all, deep-rooted bureaucratic problems were identified, such as delaying processes, and for an investor time is money! In the course of applying the Reginveststandard, it is necessary to solve a set of problems - from optimizing the package of investor documents to analyzing regulations at all levels for the presence of administrative barriers.
Results of the work done to date using 9 investor action algorithms:
- maps of current processes (states) have been developed;
- maps of optimal processes (with target indicators) were developed and approved by the heads of the working groups;
- lists of problems have been formed at all levels of government;
- proposals have been prepared to amend the legislation of the Russian Federation;
- action plans have been developed to achieve target indicators, the activities are carried out by assigned responsible regional and municipal authorities, relevant departments, resource supply and network organizations.
- Thus, according to the algorithm assigned to the Agency for allocating land plots for lease without bidding, the process period has already been shortened. The procedure for approving the agenda and protocol of the Investment Council of the Republic of Tatarstan was developed and approved, changes were developed and adopted in the procedure for providing legal entities with land plots for lease without bidding, including eliminating duplicate procedures.
All work on projects is carried out electronically: investors can submit an application on the investment portal, all investment projects are entered into the “Investment Control of Tatarstan” information system, in which project implementation is monitored on an ongoing basis.
I believe that these measures have already worked. In January-December 2023, about 1.2 trillion rubles in fixed capital were received for the development of the economy, including the social sphere, in the Republic of Tatarstan, which is more than 120% of the 2022 level in comparable prices.
The volume of investments in fixed capital, excluding budget funds at all levels, amounted to 953,275.6 million rubles, or 122.7% by 2022. In terms of the volume of investments in fixed capital in January-December 2023, Tatarstan took 1st place among the regions of the Volga Federal District, and 6th place among the constituent entities of the Russian Federation.
Reference
1. The basic principles of working with investors, as well as the region’s investment team, are outlined in a special document - the Investment Declaration of the Republic of Tatarstan. It was approved by decree of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan dated June 18, 2012.
2. The Regulations of the TIDA were approved by Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Tatarstan dated 06.06.2011 No. 460 “Issues of the Investment Development Agency of the Republic of Tatarstan”.
3. The regulations for the interaction of subjects of investment activities to assist in the implementation of investment projects on the territory of the Republic of Tatarstan were approved by Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Tatarstan No. 118 dated February 20, 2019