The President signed an executive order abolishing the Regional Development Ministry as part of the on-going work to improve the state management system.
Some of the abolished ministry’s functions will be taken over by the Economic Development Ministry. This concerns in particular drafting and implementing state policy and legal regulation concerning socioeconomic development at the regional and local levels and in the Far North and the Arctic, carrying out border area and interregional cooperation, drafting and implementing projects for federal districts’ socioeconomic development, selecting and implementing priority investment projects in the federal districts, and providing state support through the Investment Fund.
The Finance Ministry will be responsible for drafting and implementing state policy and legal regulation concerning state support for the regions and municipalities through funding from the federal budget.
The Construction and Housing and Utilities Ministry will be responsible for drafting and implementing state policy and legal regulation in the area of urban planning.
The Culture Ministry will be responsible for drafting and implementing state ethnic policy and legal regulation concerning protection of the rights of ethnic minorities and indigenous peoples, and ensuring people’s ethnic and cultural needs and effective spending of state funds allocated for supporting ethnic and cultural development of Russia’s peoples.
The Justice Ministry will be responsible for drafting and implementing state policy and legal regulation in the area of administrative divisions and organisation throughout the country, delimiting powers on joint responsibilities between the federal and regional executive authorities and local government bodies, and working together with Cossack associations.
The relevant instructions have been sent to the Government.