The regional authorities will help small and medium-size businesses

In the building of the regional Chamber of Commerce Vice Governor Igor Skobelev together with the businessmen and representatives of public organizations discussed the measures of the federal and regional support for small and medium-size businesses in the Smolensk region. In his speech he noted that the regional authorities together with the business community should cooperate more closely on determining the overall direction of the business development.

"At the end of April there is going to be the Council on small and medium-size business where we need to propose ways of support and apply to the Ministry of Economic Development for the funding" - addressed the audience Igor Skobelev.

Deputy Governor pointed out that the estimated amount of funding would be about 300 million rubles from the federal budget and about 90 million rubles from the regional budget. The regional authorities sent the Chamber of Commerce of the Smolensk region a list of all support measures which are supposed to receive the federal funding. Igor Skobelev stressed that the regional authorities and the Chamber of Commerce share the vision of the challenges facing the region and the region's economy. And at the same time the regional administration is ready to work in each direction independently.

In his speech the Vice-Governor also said that so far 13,500 small and medium-size companies and 27,300 entrepreneurs operate in the region. The Smolensk region has the forth greatest number of small and medium-size companies in the Central Federal District. They employ half of the working population of the region.

During the meeting at the Chamber of Commerce there was a discussion of the issues related to the forms of support for small and medium-size businesses, which are generated by the federal government, and the forms of support that regional authorities can provide.