Mishustin called for introducing a risk-based approach to business inspections

To fulfill the task of reducing the administrative burden on Russian business, control authorities need to more actively implement a risk-based approach to conducting inspections. About it stated Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in a video message to the participants of the IV All-Russian Forum of Control Bodies.

Mishustin recalled the president’s proposal to replace inspections of companies whose business does not involve a high risk of harm to citizens or the environment with preventive measures.

“Therefore, we have to more actively implement a risk-based approach, develop a system of industry indicators that will allow us to foresee in advance which objects need attention, and act proactively, without expecting possible violations,” Mishustin said.

The flexible use of supervision and control tools has already provided significant support to Russian business, the prime minister noted. The number of preventive visits has increased significantly, and they are increasingly initiated by the business itself. The head of government also highly appreciated the results of the development of pre-trial settlement tools.

“Over the eight months of this year, over 15% of such complaints were satisfied in the interests of the applicants, which enables citizens to successfully resolve controversial issues with controllers,” he said.

At the end of May, business ombudsman Boris Titov reportedthat the number of business inspections in the Russian Federation at the end of 2022 decreased by 70% to 292,000. This record low figure is due to the introduction of a moratorium on inspections and control and supervisory activities, noted Titov. In addition, the Ombudsman noted that departments began to use warnings more often in the total share of punishments. The figure increased from 22.49% to 41.7%.

Later, Russian President Vladimir Putin during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in June offered cancel inspections of businesses that do not involve human risks. Following the forum, the head of state instructed the government, together with the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, to develop legislative amendments that would exempt entrepreneurs from administrative fines by police officers, Vedomosti wrote.

Titov then noted that this is “one of those initiatives that can have an impact on business right here and now, without a delayed effect.”