"We suggest keeping in federal ownership the media from the list of strategic enterprises - the VGTRK, the RTRS (Russian Television and Radio network) and other enterprises that ensure the integrity of the information space of the Russian Federation," Zhukov said at the cabinet session today.
By December 1, 2004, a part of educational and medical establishments and museums would be turned over to the Federation members, the vice premier said. They include state-owned establishments and federal unitary enterprises in education, medicine and culture that should be turned over to Federation members in compliance with laws on the delimitation of powers, Zhukov explained.
The commission made the decision with regard to 3,768 establishments and 2,202 federal unitary enterprises. The operation of more than 4,000 state establishments and federal unitary enterprises is no longer connected with the fulfilment of federal functions, Zhukov said.
In his words, an inspection (an inventory of more than 30,000 facilities has been made since the beginning of the administrative reform) showed that many state establishments provided not services related with state functions but commercial services, using the federally-owned property for this purpose and frequently holding monopoly in their sphere, which prevented the development of their rivals.
Strategic research institutes should remain in federal ownership, thinks the vice premier. "We suggest keeping in federal ownership the research institutes that work in fundamental and applied spheres that have strategic significance," Zhukov said.
The fate of defence enterprises will be decided at a closed session of the cabinet.
The commission on the administrative reform analysed all defence and security enterprises and decided which of them should be kept in federal ownership. "We have drafted a relevant report for the president," Zhukov said, adding that this issue cannot be heard at an open session of the cabinet.
The vice premier reported that the Economic Development Ministry had been instructed to draft a federal target programme for the administrative reform in the local governments in compliance with related normative acts. The Friday session of the commission will discuss spreading the administrative reform to the regional level. "We should take co-ordinated measures at all levels of power and the vital task in this respect is to spread the reform to the local level," said Vice Premier Alexander Zhukov.
