President orders state de-bureaucratisation as from January 1

As from January 1, 2006 the procedure used to handle citizens’ appeals to the authorities will change, Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko told today’s sitting dedicated to the progress in fulfilling the president’s orders to de-bureaucratise state institutions. “The present talk is very important and topical, as it concerns every person and the society as a whole. It is the problem of eradicating the bureaucracy in the state institutions that people apply to”, noted the head of state. “Nowadays there is no more important task. Without resolving the problem, we will not be able to create a state for people”. Alexander Lukashenko noted, bureaucracy inevitably undermines the roots of the state as well as the people’s trust in the state, its bodies and institutions, it brings about social apathy and spite. It is possible to fill shelves in shops with goods and give good salaries to people. But if citizens face indifference and even rough treatment from officials, all benefits of the state will become nothing. The head of state emphasised, administrative barriers substantially influence the investment attractiveness of any country and the business environment as a whole. Therefore, the president commissioned all authorities with eradicating bureaucracy and red tape.