Removing barriers to ensure the effective implementation of Resolution 02.

In early 2024, the Government issued Resolution 02/NQ-CP dated January 5, 2024 (Resolution 02) on key tasks and solutions to improve the business environment and enhance national competitiveness in 2024, aiming to stimulate the motivation and spirit of reform, unlock resources for businesses, and reduce policy burdens. For the Resolution to be effectively implemented, changes in implementation methods are needed, along with the addition of mechanisms for monitoring and addressing those responsible for institutional reforms and improving the national business environment to achieve breakthrough results.

Gỡ rào cản để Nghị quyết 02 thực thi hiệu quả

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Businesses are complaining about difficulties.

Sharing about the difficulties faced in implementing regulations and administrative procedures, Ms. Ly Kim Chi, President of the Ho Chi Minh City Food and Beverage Association, said that one of the regulations that has had the most prolonged and severe impact on food businesses is the obstacle in Government Decree 09/2016/ND-CP on fortifying food with micronutrients. This inadequacy has lasted for nearly 7 years, from 2017 to the present, and businesses in the food and beverage industry have been facing many difficulties every day.

Mr. Pham Xuan Hoe, General Secretary of the Vietnam Financial Leasing Association, pointed out that the biggest obstacle to registering motor vehicles currently is stipulated in Circular No. 24/2023/TT-BCA dated July 1, 2023, of the Ministry of Public Security on the issuance and revocation of motor vehicle license plates. This regulation requires registration to be based on the financial leasing company's headquarters, while member financial leasing companies are all headquartered in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, leading to many inconsistencies and difficulties for businesses.

Mr. Hoè cited the examples of four member companies – Vietcombank Leasing, BIDV - sumi Trust, ACB Leasing, and Sacombank Leasing – to show how these obstacles significantly affect the financial leasing operations of these companies. Specifically, 76 financial leasing contracts were canceled by customers, and the total amount of signed contracts that could not be disbursed by these four companies was 425.3 billion VND.

The American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (AmCham) also recommended that regulatory agencies should soon provide specific guidance to implement Resolution 02. For example, regarding the implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), the Resolution clearly states that businesses can combine both self-recycling and payment for recycling support. However, to date, there are still no implementation guidelines to address the obstacles related to EPR for businesses, as the Government has strongly advocated.

Mr. Dau Anh Tuan, Deputy Secretary General and Head of the Legal Department of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), added that in many sectors, the obstacles raised by businesses are rarely considered, and in some cases, draft documents even add new barriers.

Mr. Tuan cited the transportation sector as an example. Government Decree 10/2020/NQ-CP dated January 17, 2020, regulating the business and business conditions of road transport by automobile, requires contract passenger transport businesses to provide at least the contents of the transport contract to the Department of Transport via email before each trip. However, with hundreds of trips per day, requiring such information creates significant compliance costs. From the perspective of the regulatory agency, it is also difficult to manage when receiving hundreds of emails daily.

For the Resolution to be implemented effectively

Based on the realities of businesses, to improve the business environment, it is time to change the implementation methods to create breakthrough results for this Resolution. Ms. Ly Kim Chi suggested that the implementation process of Resolution 02 should closely follow the results of the implementation of each assigned content by each ministry and sector. It is necessary to strengthen supervision, monitoring, and enforcement so that every official, civil servant, and ministry/sector wholeheartedly supports and handles issues, and considers the interests of businesses and citizens as their own.

To create a more favorable business environment, Mr. Dau Anh Tuan suggested that documents should be simplified, processing times shortened, electronic transactions promoted, and regulations hindering business conditions promptly amended; and that administrative procedures should be strongly decentralized. In particular, businesses recommended further improving the substance and effectiveness of business environment reforms.

According to Dr. Nguyen Minh Thao, Head of the Business Environment and Competitiveness Research Board (Central Institute for Economic Management Research - CIEM), Resolution 02 has inherited and developed the approach implemented previously. Dr. Thao assessed that this Resolution sends a strong message from the Government to improve the business environment to strengthen confidence and create a foundation for businesses. However, the major challenge is to stimulate motivation, create constant and continuous pressure, and require the cooperation of many parties; the proactive and direct involvement of the heads of ministries, sectors, and agencies is a crucial factor determining success.

Mr. Phan Duc Hieu, a Standing Member of the National Assembly's Economic Committee, believes that with its seven key tasks, Resolution 02 will directly and comprehensively address the difficulties and obstacles that businesses are facing. Mr. Hieu suggested that for Resolution 02 to be effectively implemented, its execution must be more substantive and require the participation of businesses and business associations in the policy-making process, avoiding the situation of "silent" policy issuance. In particular, the drafting and issuance of individual policies must strictly adhere to Resolution 02 to consider various indicators impacting businesses.

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