DIRECTIVE

ON A NUMBER OF SOLUTIONS TO BE CONCENTRATED ON IN THE LAST MONTHS OF THE YEAR IN ORDER TO FULFILL THE 2006 SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN AND STATE BUDGET ESTIMATES

On July 7, 2006, the Government issued Resolution No. 13/2006/NQ-CP, reviewing the performance of socio-economic development tasks and state budget estimates in the first six months of 2006 and working out solutions for fulfilling the 2006 socio-economic development tasks and state budget estimates. In implementation of the Government's Resolution, the Prime Minister hereby instructs ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of government-attached agencies, presidents of provincial/municipal People's Committees, chairmen of Managing Boards of state economic groups, and general directors of state corporations to immediately concentrate on performing the following tasks in the last months of 2006:

1. To promptly review and match with tasks and solutions specified in the Government's Resolution No. 01/2006/NQ-CP of January 16, 2006, concerning their branches, localities or units; assess their leadership and management of the assigned domains, thereby identifying measures and tasks to focus on so as to address problems and improve the investment and business environment, especially problems concerning investment procedures, ground clearance, taxes, import and export, conditions to borrow capital for production and business, capital disbursement, liquidation and finalization of work construction volumes; concretize solutions and contents on international economic integration commitments; boost socialization in socio-cultural domains; improve the administrative apparatus and enhance anti-corruption, thrift practice and waste combat.

2. To promptly draw up and carry out a plan of action after Vietnam is admitted to the World Trade Organization, focusing on human resource training; further raising of public awareness; and finding, support and expansion of advanced models of production and business.

3. To guide and enforce the Anti-Corruption Law and the Law on Thrift Practice and Waste Combat, paying due attention to the management and use of state capital and assets, procurement and use of means of transport, organization of domestic and overseas tours for exchange, sightseeing or tourist purposes, strictly observing regulations on meetings of state administrative agencies and the Prime Minister's Directive No. 26/2006/CT-TTg prohibiting the improper use of public funds for presents to and receptions of guests.

4. To step up the implementation of approved programs and plans on state enterprise equitization while increasing the operational efficiency of state enterprises, post-equitization state enterprises and state enterprises transformed into one-member limited liability companies.

5. To promptly carry out necessary solutions to developing industries and services, paying attention to developing satellite industries and such services as finance, banking, transport, post and telecommunications and legal consultancy.

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7. The Government Office shall inspect and urge ministries and branches to implement the legislation program, elaboration of legal documents, report the results and propose solutions at the Government's regular meetings; and thoroughly address delays in the promulgation of documents guiding laws and ordinances which have come into force.

8. The Ministry of Finance:

a/ To tightly control elements constituting prices of important materials and commodities; closely watch market developments and forecast price fluctuations; according to its competence assume prime responsibility for, or coordinate with concerned ministries and branches in, determining reasonable roadmaps for adjustment of prices of important production materials in coal, electricity, steel and cement industries with a view to preventing major impacts on production and social life;

b/ To promulgate according to its competence regulations on, and adopt measures for, prevention and handling of cases of taking advantage of world market price fluctuations to increase domestic commodity and service prices, thus exerting negative impacts on the economy and society;

c/ To direct the implementation of measures to prevent tax and state budget revenue losses, ensuring the achievement of the 2006 collection targets; tightly control state budget expenditure; enhance inspection and supervision to address budget deficit, advance of capital while repayment sources remain unclear, and appropriation of contractors' capital; and simultaneously implement fiscal and monetary policies to ensure the stability of macro balances;

d/ To publicize contents and roadmaps of tariff reduction according to international commitments, analyze and work out measures to reduce negative impacts while capitalizing on positive impacts of tariff reduction for enterprises to know and take initiative in production and business.

9. The State Bank of Vietnam shall closely follow and promptly handle, according to its competence, monetary and exchange rate changes in the last months of the year so as to curb inflation at a reasonable level; and at the same time take initiative in administering monetary and exchange rate policies, ensuring the foreign currency balance for the import of important production materials.

10. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall take further measures to control epidemics in agricultural production, especially the foot-and-mouth epidemic and rice pests; adopt appropriate measures to assist the recovery and development of poultry flocks after the H5N1 avian flu; direct the review of the 2006 dyke protection schemes and flood and storm control; promptly consolidate dyke systems in important areas, especially the Red River dyke system, the northern and central northern sea dyke systems so as to ready measures to control natural calamities and minimize losses caused by such calamities.

11. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment shall promptly finalize legal documents guiding the Land Law; coordinate with localities in settling land-related problems and complaints; focus on addressing environmental hot spots; improve the flood and storm forecasting capacity to ensure proactive in natural disaster prevention and minimize losses.

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a/ Announcing bilateral and multilateral agreements in negotiations for Vietnam's admission to the World Trade Organization at an appropriate time; promptly studying and analyzing advantages and disadvantages of the national economy upon the country's admission to the World Trade Organization, which shall serve as a basis for adoption and implementation of an appropriate action plan to address and reduce the disadvantages and bring into play the advantages in the course of realizing international commitments.

b/ Carrying out groups of solutions to boost the export of commodities and services in the 2006-2010 period which were approved by the Prime Minister in Decision No. 156/2006/QD-TTg of June 30, 2006; at the same time, coordinating with the Ministry of Finance in guiding exports trading enterprises to strictly observe regulations on financial accounting records and customs (HS) code declaration for exports, facilitating the settlement of potential trade disputes.

13. The Ministry of Health shall coordinate with localities in enhancing the control of epidemics, especially the newly occurring ones; continue completing the system of medical examination and treatment and healthcare, especially that for inhabitants in remote, deep-lying and ethnic minority areas.

14. The Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs shall assume the prime responsibility for and coordinate with concerned agencies in adopting mechanisms and policies to help poor households sustainably escape from poverty, enhancing hunger eradication and poverty reduction, especially for the poor in mountainous, ethnic minority, deep-lying and remote areas; continuing to effectively implement policies on medical examination and treatment, educational assistance, and supports in housing, residential land, production land and preferential loan provision, to assist the poor.

15. In August 2006, ministries and branches managing national target programs shall review implementation results over the past time in order to have a basis to set targets and determine contents of such programs in the 2007-2010 period and propose them to the Prime Minister for decision.

16. Ministries, branches and localities shall concentrate on performing and accomplishing the 2006 tasks of the administrative reform program in the 2006-2010 period; continue boosting administrative reform in combination with adjustment and arrangement of organization and personnel, adoption of appropriate working styles, task assignment and responsibility decentralization; promptly check administrative formalities under their competence for adjustment and supplementation towards simplicity, clarity, shortening of the processing time, publicity and transparency of regulations, policies and procedures, thus pushing back negative phenomena, corruption, and harassment of people and enterprises.

17. Functional agencies shall publicly and transparently publish regulations on necessary procedures and dossiers for each administrative formality on the mass media and in public offices for public compliance and supervision.

18. In the last months of 2006, ministries, branches, localities, state economic groups and state corporations shall, on the 25th every month, make reports reviewing the implementation of the Government's Resolution No. 01/2006/NQ-CP of January 16, 2006, on key solutions for direction and management of implementation of the 2006 socio-economic and state budget plans. Such reports must specify tasks which have and have not been completed as well as measures and plans to address problems arising in the course of performing the Government-assigned tasks and be sent to the Ministry of Planning and Investment for sum-up and reporting to the Government at its regular meetings.

At the regular cabinet meeting of December 2006, the Ministry of Planning and Investment will sum up and report on the implementation of tasks which the Government has assigned to ministries, branches, localities, state economic groups and state corporations in its Resolution No. 01/2006/NQ-CP of January 16, 2006, and at the same time propose solutions and handling of agencies which fail to properly or efficiently perform their assigned tasks.

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20. The Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Finance shall promptly complete the elaboration of criteria and norms for investment capital allocation and submit them to the Prime Minister for decision, which shall serve as a basis for making the 2007 state budget estimates for capital construction investment and for the budget stabilization period of 2007-2010.

21. The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall regularly monitor and report on the implementation of this Directive to the Government and the Prime Minister.