Looking straight for stronger reform

ABO/NDO - Prime Minister, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, has requested that all sectors, localities and enterprises work together to make stronger changes in the competitiveness of the economy at the recent online conference between the Government and localities.

At the recent online conference between the Government and localities (Photo: VGP)

The conference aimed to review the country’s socio-economic development in the first half of 2018 and develop measures to handle weaknesses and problems in governmental management over the next six months.

At the conference, PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc said that risks could undermine the country’s development in the future, including natural disasters, social security and other pressing social issues such as traffic safety, food safety and corruption.

The Government leader called on the local authorities and business associations to strengthen connectivity in order to address institutional shortcomings and emphasised improving the business environment on the principle of equality, safety, transparency and cost reduction.

Localities and ministries need to adopt effective tools to promote a sustainable economy, including ensuring macroeconomic stability, and push ahead with economic restructuring in an effective manner in line with building an incorruptible apparatus.

Although the Government has asked the ministries and sectors to cut 50% of business conditions by the end of the second quarter of 2018, only 378 of the more than 5,700 business conditions have been abolished or simplified. October 31, 2018 is the deadline required by the Government to promulgate all decrees on the reduction of 50% of existing business condition and registration, but until now only the Ministry of Industry and Trade has drafted a decree; the Ministry of Construction, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development have submitted the draft decree. Other ministries and sectors have yet to build or submit any decrees.

Therefore, ministries and sectors were asked to quickly complete the draft decree to submit the Prime Minister and the Government before August 15 to ensure that they meet the deadline. The content of the amendments must be clear, while it is also necessary to continue to abolish inappropriate business conditions that impede the operation of enterprises.

The World Bank forecast Vietnam’s growth this year at more than 6.8% while Fitch ranked Vietnam as one of the fastest-growing economies in the Asia-Pacific. PM Phuc emphasised that they were just their predictions and whether Vietnam can really pull them off depends on the determination of the entire political system.

(Source: NDO)