Only 'loyal' entrepreneurs meet with Lukashenka

Today at Expobel Lukashenka's meeting with individual entrepreneurs (IE) will be the first for the past 10 years.

It is not clear according to what criteria Lukashenka's Administration and city authorities created a list of those entrepreneurs invited to the meeting. Business environment says that first of all the criteria was based on the level of entrepreneur's loyalty or at least neutrality, the participation of most active IE was doomed to failure. Leaders of business alliances who, to some extent, protect interests of large and midsize business will be present at the meeting. But it is unknown who will stand for IEs' interests", Radio Svaboda reports.

By Lukashenka's arrival Expobel area began to be cleaned up yesterday. In surrounding streets huge car traffic jams were formed because the utility services started a road marking, workers were painting fences and clearing out a parking territory from garbage. Businessmen were ordered to come to pavilions at 7 in the morning for not to bother a security service. Journalists with accreditation were allowed to come two hours later.

A draft decree on amendments to the resonance Decree No. 222 which caused discontent to private entrepreneurs is assumed to become one of the main issues during the meeting, –a bankruptcy is threatening to thousands of traders.

In accordance with a document since March 1 the period during which traders could sell residual stock of light industry imported from countries of the Customs Union without certificates has been expired. Entrepreneurs had repeatedly tried to explain to the government that due to objective reasons they cannot work under new conditions, but their voice was not heard. As a result on March 1 more than 80% of businessmen did not turn up for work in markets and shopping centers across the country.

After that, representatives of interested agencies finally remembered the existence of a large number of IE and now they are trying to correct some paragraphs.

Photo by Radio Svaboda