Resolution No. 18/NQ-CP dated March 08, 2018 of the Government on the Government's regular meeting - February 2018

THE GOVERNMENT

Resolution No. 18/NQ-CP dated March 08, 2018 of the Government on the Government s regular meeting - February 2018

Pursuant to the Law on Organization of the Government dated June 19, 2015;

Pursuant to the Government’s Decree No. 138/2016/ND-CP dated October 01, 2016 promulgating the working regulation of the Government;

Based on the discussion of the Cabinet members and the conclusion of the Prime Minister at the Government’s regular meeting in February 2018,held on March 01, 2018

DECIDES

1. Regarding the draft Law amending and supplementing to a number of articles of the Law on Special Amnesty

The Ministry of Public Security shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Justice, the Government Office and concerned ministries and agencies in, collecting comments of the Government members and verification results of the Government Office to finalize the draft Law and report it to the Prime Minister before submitting to the National Assembly.

2. Regarding the draft Law on Crops and the draft Law on Livestock Production

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Justice, the Government Office and concerned ministries and agencies in, collecting comments of the Government members, and verification results of the Government Office to finalize the draft Laws and report them to the Prime Minister before submitting to the National Assembly.

3. Regarding the draft Law on Urban Development Management

The Ministry of Construction shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Justice, the Government Office and concerned ministries and agencies in, collecting comments of the Government members, and verification results of the Government Office to finalize the draft Law and report it to the Prime Minister before submitting to the National Assembly.

4. Regarding the draft Law on Population

The Ministry of Health shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Justice, the Government Office and other concerned ministries and agencies in, collecting comments of the Government members, and verification results of the Government Office to finalize the draft Law and report it to the Prime Minister before submitting to the National Assembly.

5. Regarding the socio-economic situation in February and the first two months of 2018, the implementation of Resolution No. 01/NQ-CP on major tasks and solutions guiding the implementation of the socio-economic development plan and State budget plan in 2018.

The Government unanimously agreed that: The socio-economic situation in February and the first two months of the year was positive across fields, marked with stable macroeconomic stability and tamed inflation. Money, credit, security, and foreign exchange markets witnessed positive developments. Major industries and sectors continued steady growth, especially industrial production and tourism services. Exports increased sharply, especially in the domestic sector. The disbursed volume of foreign direct investment and the number of newly established enterprises increased. Budget revenues were relatively good. Information and communication, culture, arts, sports, tourism activities took place in a diversified and exciting manner. People s health care and food safety were enhanced. National defense, security, social order and safety were maintained. Foreign affairs received due attention.

During the Lunar New Year of 2018, ministries, sectors and localities strictly implemented the directions of the Secretariat, the Government and the Prime Minister. Policies for people with meritorious services to the revolution, policy beneficiaries, the poor, people in deep-lying, remote and disaster-stricken areas were deployed in a timely and practical manner. The festive atmosphere celebrating a new year for the Party and the country, the spirit of national pride
spread all over the country and the overseas Vietnamese community. The Government highly acknowledged and appreciated the contributions of ministries, agencies, localities, unions, organizations, and individuals who took care of and prepared the conditions for the people to celebrate the Lunar New Year in a cosy, happy, fresh, exciting, and safe atmosphere.

Apart from the above-mentioned achievements, there remained a number of shortcomings, such as: low disbursement rate of investment capital from the State budget, difficulties in production and business activities in some areas, a large number of enterprises stopping their operations.

During the Lunar New Year, violations of traffic safety and order remained high. The number of deaths was still high, and illegal burning of firecrackers still occurred in a number of localities.

The Government requested ministries, sectors and localities to keep a close watch on domestic and external realities for timely and proper policy responses. To continue to stick to and have concrete plans and measures to implement the motto of the Government in 2018 as follows:

"Discipline, integrity, action, creativity, and efficiency". To focus on the synchronous and effective implementation of the tasks and solutions set out in the resolutions of the Party, the National Assembly and the Government, especially Resolution No. 01/NQ-CP on major tasks and solutions guiding the implementation of the socio-economic development plan and State budget plan in 2018, the Government s Dispatch No. 240/CD-TTg dated February 21, 2018 on implementing tasks after the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday. To urge, inspect and overcome stagnation and delays in the performance of tasks, combat bureaucracy and formalism, and make clear changes in each sector and/or domain. To focus on implementing the following tasks:

- Continue to focus on achieving targets on macroeconomic stability, inflation control, promotion of fast and sustainable growth associated with the implementation of strategic breakthroughs, restructuring acceleration and improvement of economic competitiveness.In 2018 and years beyond,the Government continues to consider the development and improvement of legal
institutions, administrative reform and improvement of the business environment as the top priority. To actively review mechanisms, policies and law provisions, promptly remove obstacles hindering socio-economic development, especially those related to investment and business, planning, environment, and land, etc.

- Each ministry, sector, locality, State-owned group or corporation shall urgently develop quarterly growth scenarios and take drastic and specific measures to ensure the achievement of the set growth goals. Heads of agencies shall be responsible for the performance of their respective sectors and/or domains. The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall synthesize and develop a growth scenario and report it to the Government at its regular meeting in March 2018.

- Ministries of Finance, Planning and Investment, Industry and Trade, and the State Bank of Vietnam shall actively monitor domestic and foreign macroeconomic developments, focus on research activities to propose appropriate solutions and timely responses, and pay special attention to adjustments to policies of big countries.

The State Bank of Vietnam shall implement monetary policies proactively, flexibly and effectively in close coordination with fiscal and other macroeconomic policies to ensure macroeconomic stability and inflation control. It was requested to manage credit growth within an appropriate level associated with credit quality assurance, particularly in potentially risky areas, accelerate the restructuring of credit institutions and bad debt settlement, strive to reduce interest rates, stabilize exchange rates, and increase the State s foreign exchange reserves.

- The Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Finance and other ministries, sectors and localities shall take drastic measures and held responsibility before the Government and the Prime Minister for the implementation and disbursement progress of investment capital sourced from the State budget to create immediate changes in March 2018 while strengthening strict inspection, examination, and review of responsibilities and handling of delays in the implementation of public investment plan.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall assume the prime responsibility for promptly assigning all public investment capital planned for 2018 before March 31, 2018, and report to the Prime Minister on the overall assignment of the medium-term public investment plan in the 2016-2020 period in March 2018. The Ministry shall enhance online bidding, report to the Government on how to calculate GDP of the unobserved sectors in the Government’s regular meeting in April 2018, and urgently complete the draft Resolution No. 19-2018/NQ-CP in March 2018. Propose a plan to inspect the implementation of the Resolution on private sector development adopted at the 5^thplenum of the 12th Party Central Committee, and report to the Prime Minister in April 2018. Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministries of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, Education and Training, and Science and Technology to develop solutions to build national human resources in the context of the 4^thindustrial revolution.

- The Ministry of Finance shall implement tight fiscal policies, strengthen state financial budgetary disciplines, and thoroughly cut back on regular expenditures, and expenditures for procurement and meetings. Take drastic measures to prevent tax loss, transfer pricing and tax evasion, expand the tax base, strengthen solutions to collect tax from informal economic sector, effectively mobilize and utilize public property resources, closely manage and effectively use public debts and ensure debt repayment capability, ensure public debt safety and the national finance.

- Ministries, sectors and localities shall closely coordinate with the Steering Committee for Price Regulation to control the consumer price index (CPI) growth right in the first months of the year, thus creating room for adjustment in the last months of the year, formulate plans and a roadmap for adjusting prices of goods and services managed by the State, and develop a detailed and appropriate price management scenario to ensure the goal of inflation control in 2018.

- Ministries, sectors and localities shall formulate specific objectives, regularly urge, inspect and concentrate on stepping up equitization, capital disbursement and restructuring of State-owned enterprises according to plans approved by competent authorities. Have solutions to promote hi-tech application in the context of the 4^thindustrial revolution, focus on removing difficulties and obstacles for the development of concentrated economic zones and hi-tech parks. Ministries and agencies shall promptly prepare contents and programs to organize thematic conferences to seek national solutions to the key issues of the country.

- The National Steering Committee on Prevention and Control of Smuggling, Trade Fraud and Fake Commodities shall take drastic measures to combat smuggling and trade frauds, direct the inspection and control of key commodities and geographical areas in order to detect and promptly handle acts of tax evasion, production and trading of illegally imported goods, fake goods, poor-quality goods and trade frauds.

- Deputy Prime Ministers shall regularly direct, inspect, urge and closely monitor the situation of production and trading of key products in the sectors or domains under their authority, and concentrate on monitoring and resolving strictly the 12 megaprojects and other loss-making projects invested by the state budget.

- The Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the People s Committees of Quang Ninh, Khanh Hoa and Kien Giang provinces shall prepare the legal and necessary conditions to ensure the effective operation of the three special administrative-economic units, including urgently completing the Government s proposals on the establishment of special administrative-economic units, finalizing a Law on special administrative-economic units to be approved by the National Assembly.

- The Ministries of Transport, Industry and Trade, and Finance and provinces shall study and propose solutions to reduce expenses for enterprises such as road fees, logistics service charges, etc. in March 2018.

- Ministries and agencies shall, according to their respective functions and tasks, continue to direct, coordinate, inspect, urge and evaluate their work, and pay special attention to address environmental issues, food safety, the quality of medical examination and treatment. Thoroughly handle issues of public concern such as urban order, safety for hospital staff, and behavior in the educational environment.

- The Ministry of Industry and Trade shall coordinate with concerned ministries, agencies and localities in efficiently exploiting opportunities and advantages of free trade agreements which Vietnam has signed, and speed up the signing of the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).

- The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall promptly guide and deploy the prevention and combat of diseases on plants, husbandry and fisheries. Be proactive in disaster response. Assume the prime responsibility and coordinate with the Ministry of Industry and Trade, commodity associations and localities in formulating solutions to boost the development of major export agricultural products. Co-ordinate with localities to strengthen the management of spontaneous migration, to expeditiously propose policies for managing immigrants, and prepare a national conference on solutions to address the issue of spontaneous migration in the North West, Central Highlands and South West.

- The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism shall propose measures to mobilize resources for the development of a number of key tourist infrastructures, raising the quality of tourism human resources, stepping up state management of tourism to create a favorable environment for sustainable tourism.

- In principle, the Government agreed with the proposals to raise salary levels for coaches, athletes of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and to apply pilot preferential treatment for cybersecurity officers of the Ministry of Information and Communication. The two ministries shall coordinate with concerned ministries and sectors in promptly submitting their proposals to competent authorities for review and decision.

- The Ministry of Transport shall concentrate on directing and completing key transport infrastructure projects and works on time. The Ministry shall assume the prime responsibility for and coordinate with the provincial People s Committees in resolutely handling and overcoming road and railway accident black spots, sites that are potentially hazardous.

- The Ministry of Information and Communications shall continue to work out measures to prevent and strictly handle cases of disseminating false information, harmful or distorting the Party s guidelines as well as policies and laws of the State.

- The Ministry of Home Affairs shall propose the establishment of Prime Minister’s task force in charge of inspecting public duties performance, which is headed by the Minister of Home Affairs, develop working regulations of the task force and report to the Prime Minister.

6. Regarding the implementation progress of the tasks assigned by the Government and the Prime Minister and inspection results of the Prime Minister s Working Group in February 2018.

The Working Group was assigned to continue urging and inspecting the implementation progress of tasks by ministries, agencies and localities, and make public reports at the Government s meetings. At the same time, ministries and agencies were requested to seriously implement the recommendations of the Working Group, with a focus on the following contents:

- For specialized management ministries, ministries and agencies having sectors subjected to business conditions:

+ To expeditiously review relevant legal documents, elaborate plans to reduce, streamline, and abolish business conditions and specialized inspection procedures which are unnecessary, unreasonable and overlapping, obstructing production and business activities, ensuring to cut down and simplify 50% of the list of goods, products and specialized inspection procedures, cut down and simplify 50% of business conditions, and report to the Prime Minister latest by April 30, 2018.

+ To develop documents guiding the implementation of plans to reduce and simplify regulations on business conditions and specialized inspection procedures in the direction of developing a Decree amending a number of decrees applying shortened order and procedures, and report to the Government for review and promulgation before October 31, 2018.

+ Coordinate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment to review, study and continue proposing solutions to reduce the number of conditional business sectors specified in Appendix 4 of the Law on Investment, develop a draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Investment and the Law on Enterprises.

- The Ministry of Finance shall promptly submit to the Government a draft Decree on the implementation of the national one-stop-shop mechanism, the ASEAN Single Window, and specialized inspection.

- The Government Office shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the respective ministries, in specifying an approach to specialized management and inspection of the list of goods subjected to various forms of management and overlapping inspection by many ministries.

The Government Office was assigned to specify the above requirements so that ministries and agencies concerned can implement them.

7. Regarding the appointment of contractors for bidding packages under the regular procurement estimates of the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin In order to create favorable conditions for budget settlement, the Government agreed with the proposal of the Ministry of Finance to allow the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin to appoint contractors for regular spending of over VND 100 million for packages that the Association had utilized to organize a series of events to celebrate the 55^thanniversary of the Agent Orange disaster in Vietnam in 2016. The Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin was requested to seriously withdraw experience and take responsibility for the appointment of contractors to ensure compliance with legislation on bidding and other relevant laws.

8. Regarding the draft Decision on commune-level administrative units in areas with difficult socio-economic conditions

The Government agreed to promulgate criteria for classification of commune-level administrative units in areas with difficult socio-economic conditions except for communes in Zone I defined in Decision No. 582/QD-TTg dated April 28, 2017 of the Prime Minister, communes in Region II defined in Decision No. 582/QD-TTg dated April 28, 2017 of the Prime Minister that met new rural standards, communes in security zones, border communes in the delta. Ethnic minorities living in Region II communes, which had achieved new standards for rural areas, shall continue to enjoy the same policies as the commune-level administrative units in areas with difficult socio-economic conditions.

The Committee for Ethnic Minorities Affairs shall assume the prime responsibility for and coordinate with the Government Office and relevant ministries in finalizing the draft Decision replacing Decision No. 1049/QD-TTg dated June 26, 2014, then submit it to the Prime Minister for review and signing in March 2018./.

For the Government

The Prime Minister

Nguyen Xuan Phuc