The discussion focused on measures to boost investment activity. At the start of the meeting, Education Minister Sergei Kravtsov reported on the opening of new and refurbished children’s recreation facilities in the regions. Several other current issues were also discussed.
Held via videoconference, the meeting included the unveiling of new youth recreational facilities: an educational technology centre at the Orlyonok National Children’s Centre, Krasnodar; a new building at the Prometheus recreation centre, Lipetsk Region; and a new building at the Aurora private recreation centre, Anapa.
Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov presented the keynote report on measures to revive investment. President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Alexander Shokhin, Head of the Delovaya Rossiya National Public Organisation Alexei Repik and Minister of Finance Anton Siluanov shared their comments on the topic.
* * *
President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Colleagues, good afternoon.
Today our agenda includes several important issues that affect millions of citizens.
First and foremost, we are looking at ways to strengthen the wellbeing of families with children. Let me stress: we are not only fully meeting all previously undertaken social commitments, but we are also introducing new support measures.
For example, for working parents raising two or more children and have a low per-capita income, the income tax will be reduced to 6 percent. I believe this is an entirely fair decision. It is fully in line with the logic and spirit of our entire demographic and social policy.
From June 1 this year, these citizens can apply to the Social Fund for a refund of most of the income tax they paid in the previous year. Both parents will be eligible for the corresponding family payment, provided each is in formal employment.
To date, around 1.5 million people have applied for a personal income tax refund for last year. Payments have already begun, and the money is being credited to parents’ bank cards.
I would like to ask Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova to explain, during our meeting today, how this work is being organised. It is important that families can receive this extra state support quickly and easily. Now, in the summer, such funds can be a valuable resource for planning children’s leisure activities.
Organising recreation and summer holiday programmes for children will also be a topic of today’s discussion. That includes the opening of several new facilities – children’s camps in the Krasnodar Territory and the Lipetsk Region.
Education Minister Sergei Kravtsov and his colleagues will give a detailed report on the summer recreation campaign.
In this regard, I should note that we consistently and systematically develop children’s recreation infrastructure across the country. Since 2022, this work has also been carried out within the framework of a dedicated federal project of upgrading existing children's camps and building new facilities.
This summer, more than 5.75 million children will be able to spend their holidays in children’s recreation and health centres. Our goal is to increase, year by year, the number of children who have the opportunity to spend their summer in camps and health resorts, enjoying full rest, recovery, and meaningful activities. Allow me to share a few figures. Since 2023, 136 children’s recreation facilities have been renovated and 336 new facilities have been built with budgetary support. These projects include dormitories, sports grounds and gyms, spaces for educational and creative activities, health units, and dining facilities. As a result of this work, 160,000 new places for recreation, learning, and meaningful leisure activities have been created.
The large-scale modernisation of this infrastructure will continue. In addition to the comprehensive renewal of the existing network, plans envisage the creation of more than 200,000 additional places for children’s recreation and health improvement by 2030.
We must create conditions not only for government investment in the development and upgrade of children’s camps and health centres, but also for businesses, enterprises, and companies to invest in these socially significant and nationally important projects. Such examples are becoming increasingly common.
Improving children’s health and wellbeing remains one of our national priorities. We remain firmly committed to this objective despite all external challenges. These challenges are temporary, but children and young people represent the future of Russia and the continuation of our nation.
At the same time, we must unfortunately acknowledge that our adversaries continue to resort to terrorist methods, including the attack on the student dormitory of the pedagogic college in Starobelsk.
I would once again draw the attention of the heads of the special services and all law enforcement agencies to the need to strengthen both counter-terrorism and overall security across the entire educational and social systems and infrastructure. I ask you to carry out the relevant work without delay. During the summer holidays, we must ensure reliable protection of children’s centres, camps, and health resorts. This must be done with the utmost sense of responsibility.
Every year, every summer, we turn our attention to these issues – namely, the issue of ensuring children’s safety. This is a multifaceted endeavour, and I ask you to pay particular attention to all aspects of this work.
Let me add that – and I regret having to draw attention to this as well – the sponsors of the Kiev regime, the European ruling elites, have likewise devised measures that, in all likelihood, never occurred to anyone before: they are imposing sanctions against organisations where our children spend the summer and regain their strength. This is utter nonsense and sheer absurdity. Yet this is precisely what is being done. One can only guess what effect they expect to achieve. Do they intend to restrict the work of children’s centres? I do not understand what they are trying to achieve, but it is happening nonetheless, and those figures in Europe who are engaging in this are, I believe, bringing disgrace upon themselves. From the standpoint of common sense and ordinary people – in Russia, in Europe, and across the world – this is a manifestation of sheer feeble-mindedness, an attempt to perpetrate yet another petty act of spite. It is astonishing that people should sink to such absurdity.
Meanwhile, children from all constituent entities of the Federation and from foreign countries come to our children’s centres with great pleasure – and quite a number of children visit us from abroad – spending their time there in an interesting and vibrant manner, which is of great benefit to their development.
If European figures – preoccupied with gender issues and the protection of various kinds of sexual minorities – are irritated by the sight of happy children who are passionate about what they do and love Russia, then it means that you and I are doing everything correctly and justly, and we are promoting the right values. We will continue to act in this manner.
I would ask the Minister of Education, Sergei Kravtsov, to take the floor and report on the new facilities
<…>
Vladimir Putin: I would like to make the following point in this regard.
Of course, we were aware, just as we have been saying all along – and I think I raised this point at the economic forum in St Petersburg – it was quite apparent that by taking measures to ease and curb inflation, we proceeded from an understanding that this would affect economic growth rates and investment.
But one of our colleagues was right to note that we must prevent this pause in investment from bringing the entire economy to a halt. We had this understanding from the outset and this is what we meant. That said, I believe it would be fair to say that investment has not been paused. In fact, investment has continued. To an extent, I believe we could describe this as investment restraint, which, in itself, is quite understandable, since this is attributable to macroeconomic factors and the measures taken by the economic and financial agencies, including regarding the exchange rate of the national currency and the key interest rate.
Overall, the situation is under control – that much is quite obvious. And the measures we have taken are yielding the expected results. In fact, the inflation rate has declined. Where are we at this point? It is slightly over five percent. Therefore, I believe that we can expect a lower key interest rate and to be able to achieve other key indicators.
Mr Siluanov talked about the budget. When the interest rate changes, this will have a direct bearing on the exchange rate. We are not skewing any parameters or indicators, and I think that specialists, including investors, must appreciate this fact.
But apart from macroeconomic policy matters and efforts to ensure overall macroeconomic stability there is, of course, the fact that when major investment projects come to an end, including in the Far East, by the way, this affects the overall investment landscape. It goes without saying that we must launch a new investment cycle taking into consideration present-day reality, as well as the proposals we have just heard from the business community. I think that this much is obvious.
Many proposals definitely deserve more than just taking them into consideration or carefully studying them. I think that they must be carried out. They may have to be fine-tuned, but from a more general perspective it would be advisable to follow the steps and move towards implementing the policy as it has been outlined.
I ask Maxim Oreshkin to work on all these matters as we prepare the next meeting on economic matters, and report to the Prime Minister, so that we bring about solutions that could and should be implemented, including as part of the relevant instructions, which must be drafted in a timely manner.
I would like to thank all of you for working together today in this format. Thank you. As I said, I suggest that we start preparing the next meeting on economic matters.
Thank you very much. All the best.