Shuvalov: Time to hand additional powers to regions

(Interfax – MOSCOW, October 21, 2013) The time has come for the federal government to hand additional powers over to the regions, First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov told a world economic forum in Moscow.

“It’s time indeed to transfer additional powers to the regions,” he said.

“Certain financial resources could also be additionally provided to the municipal level,” he continued.

“Perhaps, we can acknowledge now that more powers should be delegated to the constituent territories – not to the regions alone. Maybe, certain additional financial resources could be transferred to the municipal level, where municipal districts could assume responsibility for what they ought to answer for by law, where real local governments must be formed and where people must organize their life,” he said.

Ex-finance minister and Chairman of the Civil Initiatives Committee Alexei Kudrin agreed that additional powers should be delegated from Moscow to the regions.

“We must hand over part of the powers and part of the sources of the icome-bearng sources, but if we do so we must also limit spending at the federal level instead of inflating federal spending. Economizing on spending is the most difficult thing, including spending on the state apparatus,” Kudrin said.