The Government’s regular meeting- February 2014

RESOLUTION

The Government’s regular meeting – February 2014

Pursuant to the Law on Organization of the Government dated December 25, 2001;

Pursuant to the Government’s Decree 08/2012/ND-CP, dated February 16, 2012 promulgating the Working regulation of the Government;

Based on the discussion of the Cabinet’s members and the conclusion of the Prime Minister at the Government’s regular meeting held on February 28, 2014,

1. Regarding the socio-economic performance in February and the first two months of 2014; the implementation of the Resolution 01/NQ-CP dated January 2, 2014 on major solutions guiding and directing the realization of the Plan for socio-economic development and state budget estimate in 2014;

The Government unanimously agreed: Ministries, agencies and localities have grasped thoroughly and seriously implemented the instructions of the Secretariat of the Party Central Committee, the Government and the Prime Minister; prepared well  and organized practical activities for the jubilant, happy, safe and economical Lunar New Year holiday 2014 (Tet) while actively realizing the Resolutions of the Party Central Committee, the National Assembly and the Government on socio-economic development and obtaining positive achievements in all fields. The consumer price index (CPI) in February slightly increased in comparison with the same periods of the previous years. The export turnover increased fairly high, resulting in a trade surplus. Industrial production rose against the same period last year and inventories decreased. Agricultural production was stable. Service sector developed, the number of foreign visitors to Viet Nam rocketed. Official development assistance (ODA) and foreign direct investment (FDI) climbed up. Social security was guaranteed; the livelihood, especially that of people with meritorious service to the nation, policy-benefiting families, poor households and ones living in remote and mountainous areas received due attention; culture, health, education and job creation gained positive outcomes; administrative reform was accelerated; politics and society were stable; national defense was strengthened; security and order  was safeguarded; and diplomatic work was promoted.

However, the country still faced challenges and difficulties, including slow credit growth, sluggish production and business, long cold weather spells coupling with avian influenza, causing damages to agriculture in some localities. Human diseases, food hygiene and safety unfolded complexity. The life of part of the population was still hard. Traffic accidents were serious, especially after the Lunar New Year holiday.

The Government tasked ministries, agencies and localities to center on realizing measures enshrined in the Resolution No. 01/NQ-CP, the  Resolutions adopted at the Government’s regular meetings and the Telegraph No. 179/CD-TTg of the Prime Minister, especially the task of overcoming dificulties, promoting production and business, focusing on these following issues:

- The State Bank of Viet Nam continues to pursue flexible and efective monetary and credit policies; considers reducing the interest rates in accordance with the macro-economic situation and inflation; cooperates with the Ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development and Science and Technology to design a credit program to serve for agricultural development with priority given to: Models linking in the production chain of agricultural products, production models applying high-tech advances, and models linking in the production chain of agricultural products for export; works with the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs to design and submit to the Government the plan to reduce interest rates and increase loan volumes for the poor and near-poor households; continues to beef up the progress of restructuring and settling bad debts; maintains the stability of the exchange rate and gold market.

- The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development directs the rice stockpiling; restructures rice production in order to guarantee effectiveness and competitiveness; cooperates with the Ministry of Indsutry and Trade to deploy measures to accelarate the export of farm produce, especially rice, tra fish and vegetables; actively implements measures to control and prevent avian influenza, especially cross-border poultry transportation and smuggling.

- The Ministry of Industry and Trade realizes policies to encourage and extricate difficulties for businesses; carries out activities to stimulate domestic consumption and promote the use of Vietnamese products; strengthens the fight against smuggling, trade frauds, tax evasion, illegal business operations; expands the price stabilization models without the State budget support, cooperates with relevant ministries and agencies in free trade agreement talks, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership; expands export horizon and works with other ministries and agencies to facilitate export activities.

- The Ministry of Planning and Investment takes prime responsibility and cooperates with other ministries, agencies and localities to foster investment, facilitate social investment, development of domestic busniesses and operation of foreign direct investment (FDI) projects; promptly complete commitments and allocate corresponding capital for official development assistance (ODA) projects; report to the Prime Minister the plans to arrange capital for big projects. The Ministry of Planning and Investment works with the Ministry of Finance to speed up disbursement of State budget and Government bond capital to realize the projects as planned.

- The Ministry of Finance reviews the implementation of State budget plan in 2013 and reports to the Prime Minister; accelarates the capital disbursement and payment for capital construction in 2014; guarantees budget for poverty reduction policies; coordinates with relevant agencies to check milk price increase by some companies and impose strict sanctions on those who collude to raise the milk prices illegally and pursue unhealthy competition in order to protect consumers' rights.

- The Ministry of Transport reviews, supplements and updates technical standards and critria for transport projects, strengthens supervision of technical safety of all kinds of vehicles; accelerates the progress of crucial transport projects. Provincial and municipal People’s Committees direct the site clearance work for transport projects. For the projects to upgrade the National Highway 1A and the section of the Ho Chi Minh Road running through the Central Highlands, site clearance must be completed within March 2014.

- The Ministry of Education and Training launches the Resolution adopted at the 8th Plenum of the 11th Party Central Committee on fundamental and comprehensive education and training renovation with synchronous solutions for improving the education and training system, structure, programs, textbooks as well as teaching methods and quality verification; focuses on renovating final examinations at secondary school level, university and college entrance examinations in 2014, and set up a plan to renew examinations in 2015.

- The Ministry of Health enhances the prevention and control of communicable diseases, especially the avian influenza A(H5N1), hand-foot-mouth disease, and measles; speeds up communication work and carries out vaccination in order to prevent the outbreak of epidemic diseases; provides early warnings and prevents dangerous diseases penetrating in Viet Nam; supervises food safety, especially the use of the preservative substances; accelerates the building of hospitals to reduce hospital overload.

- The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and other localities manage the organization of festivals in a civilized, healthy, safe way to promote the cultural identity; complete the organization of sports games at all levels, prepare for and organize the 7th National Sports Games in 2014; implement the Prime Minister’s instruction on preparations for the 18th Asian Games in 2019; promote the advertisement of tourist products in order to further lure foreigners to Viet Nam.

- The Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs continues to realize social welfare and security policies in a synchronous and effective manner; cooperates with relevant ministries, agencies and localities to fruitfully implement the national target programs on poverty reduction, job creation and new rural building; reviews and provides famine relief to help citizens stabilize their lives.

- The Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs evaluate and timely deal with situations to protect the national sovereignty while guaranteeing the friendship and socio-economic development cooperation with other nations.

- The Ministry of Public Security prevents, fights against acts of sabotage, maintains political security; continues crackdown on criminals; coordinates with relevant agencies, localities and mass organizations to improve traffic safety awareness in communities.

- Ministries, agencies and localities quickly implement the Decision No. 251/QD-TTg dated on February 13, 2014 of the Prime Minister on issuing Plan of the Government to realize the new Constitution, especially the amendment, supplement and issuance of legal documents; prepare plans as stipulated in their working programs; boost up administrative reform and create favorable conditions to promote investment.

- Ministers, heads of agencies, chairmen of provincial and municipal People’s Committees, chairmen of State’s economic groups and corporations direct the equitization of State-owned enterprises (SOEs) in accordance with the approved plans; continue to check enterprises in which the State holds 100% capital or those that the State is the majority shareholder, set up more plans to equitize and withdraw capital from non-core business lines; quickly design and improve institutions and policies in order to facilitate the restructuring and equitization of the SOEs.

- The Ministry of Information and Communications, ministries, agencies and localities actively provide information on issues of public concerns; make public guidelines, policies and solutions within their assigned competence. Press agencies strengthen information disssemination in order to create consensus and determination in realizing guidelines and policies.

2. Regarding the five-year implementation of the Resolution No. 21-NQ/TW of the 10th Party Central Committee on improving the socialist-oriented market economy institutions:

After five years of realizing the Resolution of the 10^th Party Central Committee and the Government’s Action Plan, Viet Nam has made great progress in improving the socialist-oriented market economy institutions. Issued institutions and policies have made crucial changes and brought about a number of achievements. Fundamental factors of the market economy have been basically formed and developed synchronously; markets are operating well. The role of the State in the economy is suitable with the common and modern market mechanism. Economic development has been coupled with social process, democracy, and social equality, environmental protection and sustainable development. International integration has been widely and deeply expanded to various areas. Many countries all over the world, including major trade partners have recognized Viet Nam’s market economy status.

However, the institutional reform is slow compared to the requirements, the quality of institutions and policies is not comprehensive; some of mechanisms and policies have yet made breakthroughs; mechanisms and policies have not been fruitfully implemented as expected.

The Government discussed and analyzed causes and experiences of these achievements, especially shortcomings in realizing the Resolution, identifying missions and solutions to boost up the implementation of goals set in the Resolution.

The Government asked the ministers, heads of agencies and chairmen of provincial and municipal People’s Committees to supervise and speed up the completion of missions figured out in the Resolution No. 22/2008/NQ-CP of the Government on the Action Program to realize the Resolution No. 21-NQ/TW of the 10^th Party Central Committee, focusing on improving market economy institutions, enhancing international integration, especially the areas of socialist-oriented market economy in the context of restructuring the economy.

Ministries, agencies and localities continue to realize adopted mechanisms and policies; ensure that factors of the market economy operate smoothly; synchronously develop markets; expand the freedom and equality rights, control business and investment monopolies;  manage prices of necessary goods such as oil and petrol, electricity, coal, water, health and education services, etc on the basis of the market principles, inflation control, macro-economic stabilization and social security guaranty; combine economic growth with social progress and equality, environmental protection and sustainable development; actively sign, accede to international treaties in all fields, especially free trade agreements and Trans-Pacific Partnership, etc; attract and create favorable conditions to push up foreign investment in Viet Nam and outward investment of Vietnamese businesses.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment takes prime responsibility to study and receive comments of the Cabinet members, finalize the Report on five-year implementation of the Resolution No. 21-NQ/TW of the 10^th Party Central Committee. The Report should cover specific tasks and solutions for the time to come and will be submitted to the Political Bureau.

3. For the draft Resolution on key tasks and solutions to improving the business environment and enhancing the national competitiveness:

Based on the comments of the Cabinet members, the Office of Government finalizes the draft Resolution and submits it to the Prime Minister.

Ministries, agencies and localities focus on implementing tasks and solutions enshrined in the Government’s Resolutions. Based on the functions, tasks and real conditions, specific action plans on improving business environment and competitiveness of ministries, agencies and localities, especially the administrative procedures reform will be issued and launched in March 2014.

4. Regarding the debts of the Viet Nam National Shipping Lines:

To realize the Conclusion of the Political Bureau on restructuring the Vinalines and launch the approved restructuring plan, the Government discussed and agreed to issue a Resolution on dealing with the debts of the Vinalines.

The Ministry of Transport takes prime responsibility and cooperates with the Ministry of Finance and the State Bank of Viet Nam to draft the Resolution, then submit to the Prime Minster to issue in March 2014.

5. Regarding the Law on State budget

The Ministry of Finance cooperates with the Ministry of Justice, the Office of Government and other relevant ministries and agencies to collect comments at the meeting, continue to finalize the bill to report to the Prime Minister before submitting to the National Assembly./.

ON BEHALF OF THE GOVERNMENT

PRIME MINISTER

(Signed)

Nguyen Tan Dung