The meeting took place ahead of the Wednesday’s meeting of the State Council on small and medium-sized businesses.
Addressing the audience, the President said that Russia could not overcome its dependence on the energy complex without developing small business.
He also said that addressing the problems faced by small businesses had always been postponed. As a result, small business developed spontaneously. Since 1996, the number of small and medium-sized companies has not increased, and statistics about their work is unreliable.
The President emphasised that the government needed to reduce administrative barriers and update the legislation to develop small and medium-sized businesses.