Cut down on "nooks and crannies" and drastically improve the business environment

	Increase foreign investment resources from improving the business environment
	Increase foreign investment resources by improving the business environment
	Increasing foreign investment resources from improving the business environment

How do you evaluate the Government's determination to improve the investment and business environment through the Prime Minister's directions?

The direction of the Prime Minister and the Government during recent times has shown the Government's efforts and determination to reform and improve the investment and business environment. Furthermore, the Government's increasingly drastic instructions are a clear testament to this problem. We all know that, at the beginning of the year, the Government has separated into a resolution the main tasks and solutions to improve the business environment and enhance national competitiveness in 2024 to focus on improving the business environment. improve the business environment instead of merging into one resolution like in previous years. This also demonstrates the Government's efforts in institutional reform in general.

In your opinion, what are the new and positive points in the direction in Directive 16?

In Directive 16, there are many positive points. Firstly, regarding to the way doing it, the Prime Minister directed to control administrative procedure reform at the beginning stage of promulgating legal documents, in which, focusing and emphasizing on the issue of reform at the beginning stage of new construction of documents. Second, regarding to content, the Prime Minister has clearly directed the focus on promoting administrative procedure reform in the fields of land management, natural resources, construction, real estate management... meet the actual needs of socio-economic management.

Another very positive point raised is that along with simplifying procedures in terms of time, process, and documents, the Directive emphasizes that new administrative procedure regulations will only be issued when it is truly necessary, at the same time. It must ensures compliance costs are kept to a minimum. This can be said to be a very positive highlight in Directive 16.

Could you please tell us what issues need to be changed to make the reform more substantive?

In my opinion, implementation should be part of the overall directions and resolutions on improving the investment and business environment, institutional reform, and cutting administrative procedures.

The next issue is to effectively implement the requirements for controlling administrative procedures at the stage of developing and promulgating documents. This means that reform must be implemented right from the beginning, avoiding the situation that documents are issued and then have to be reviewed, reduced, or abolished. Doing this, ministries and branches need to do it in a practical way. Furthermore, when the Government discusses newly promulgated or supplemented legal documents, it should carefully discuss the content, emphasizing the quality of inspection and appraisal reports not only formalities.

The Government needs to boldly refuse to discuss and consider approving draft legal documents if the impact assessment report does not meet requirements, does not ensure quality and is not substantive. Therefore, the Government must request the verification agency to conduct a substantive assessment associated with the draft.

In addition, the implementation and promulgation of legal documents need to promote coordination between functional agencies to simplify main administrative procedures. People often say "one door - many alleys" so we must strengthen coordination to reduce or eliminate "nooks and crannies". This requires a change in thinking and coordination between agencies to avoid creating circular procedures. For example, avoid thinking that if the state needs information, it requires people to submit that information while the state is in a more favorable position and can get that information from other authorities. For example, in the draft Law on Asset Auctions being discussed by the National Assembly, many National Assembly delegates believe that instead of the management agency requiring people to provide their criminal records, they can work with the agency. judicial authorities to get information, thereby cutting down on roundabout intermediary stages.

Along with that, reforms should avoid creating new regulations but the regulations themselves accidentally create procedures. Therefore, when designing regulations, drafting agencies need to be very specific and clear.

Thank you!