The Ministry of Industry and Trade committed not to "re-grow" the business conditions after the reduction

Mr. Tran Huu Linh, Chief of Office, the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Would you like to talk about the results of the reduction and simplification of administrative procedures and business conditions of the Industry and Trade sector at the present?

In the period of 2016-2018, one of the tasks selected by the Ministry of Industry and Trade is the professional activities, with priority given to administrative reform. In particular, the Ministry selects the administrative reform as the key task under the spirit of the essential implementation determined from the beginning.

Specifically, from December 2016, the Ministry of Industry and Trade made the first decision, breakthrough, of a major reform that proposed reduction and simplification of 123 administrative procedures out of a total of over 450 administrative procedures at that time. At the end of 2017, the Ministry of Industry and Trade achieved results that far exceeded the original target, as the reduction and simplification reached 181 administrative procedures. Following that initial step, in September, was the second time that the Ministry of Industry and Trade issued a policy for simplifying administrative procedures and conditions for investment and business with the decision of simplifying over 55% of investment business procedures and conditions. It was the great determination of the Ministry of Industry and Trade. On both of the 2 occasions, a total of nearly 280 administrative procedures actual business conditions were reduced, and simplified.

In late April, the Minister of Industry and Trade issued Decision No. 1408/QD-BCT to abolish, simplify 54 administrative procedures of the Industry and Trade sector. Please tell me, what is different from the previous two times?

On the basis of the two years 2016, 2017, April 27th, 2018, the Minister of Industry and Trade, Tran Tuan Anh, signed Decision No. 1408/QD-BCT approving the overall plan to simplify a series of administrative procedures and business investment conditions of the Ministry of Industry and Trade in 2018. This time, the Ministry of Industry and Trade set out the plan to abolish and simplify 54 administrative procedures in 10 areas. Of these, 12 procedures were abolished and 42 procedures were simplified in 10 areas, in 19 legal documents including 10 Circulars, 1 Joint Circular, 1 Decision of the Prime Minister and 7 Decrees. The areas of reduction and simplification were quite broad: energy, electricity, competition management, measurement standards, trade promotion, food safety, import and export.

The remarkable point in the third reduction and simplification of administrative procedures and business conditions, was to cut more more essentially into the fields that businesses expect. In this time, the quantity is less but the quality is better, which actually reflects the situation of the market as well as the requirements of enterprises in each field.

After the reduction and simplification of administrative procedures, business conditions, the issue that many companies worry about are that the procedures can be "re-grown" in one form or another. What is your point about this?

The Ministry of Industry and Trade decided to cut down and simplify the procedure not by performance or quantity. To get this decision, the administrative reform division of the Ministry took a long time working with the specialized units. The reduction proposals originated from the departments and bureaus receiving the administrative procedures, and assessing the quality of administrative procedures was carried out before proposing, after being approved by the Ministry they were reduced. The Ministry of Industry and Trade affirmed that when the administrative procedures and business conditions were reduced or simplified, these procedures and condition could not “re-grow”. In the coming time, for all issued legal documents the Ministry of Industry and Trade will assess carefully the new administrative procedures, avoid duplication of old procedures, and try to issue the simplest administrative procedures and business conditions for the enterprises.

Would you like to share the real reduction and simplification schedule of 54 administrative procedures in the third reduction and simplification of the Ministry of Industry and Trade in more detail?

Decision No. 1408/QD-BCT dated April 27th by the Minister of Industry and Trade has the roadmap for 2018. Currently, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has developed a program to adjust the related legal documents. The things under the Ministry’s ability will be implemented immediately, such as adjusting the circulars and joint circulars. For the adjustment of the documents which must have the plans submitted to the Government, the Ministry will build, and propose in writing. In general, the goal is that everything will be completed this year.

The administrative reform is a regular, key and priority task of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, which must have a review and simplification of administrative procedures. Therefore, after the reduction and simplification of administrative procedures and business conditions in 2018, the Ministry of Industry and Trade will also prepare the plan for the next phase.

Thank you, Sir!