The Economic Policy, Industries and Enterprising Committee of the Milli Majlis had a scheduled meeting on 22 November, with Deputy Chairman Ali Masimli starting by presenting the agenda that mainly dealt with the 2^nd-reading Bills included in the 2023 State Budget Parcel.

Those were the Bill on 2023 State Budget of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the next-year budget drafts of the State Social Protection Fund and the Unemployment Insurance Fund as well as the draft laws ‘On the Living Wage in the Republic of Azerbaijan in 2023’, ‘On the Criterion of Neediness in the Republic of Azerbaijan in 2023’. Besides, the agenda comprised sets of amendments to the Tax and Customs codes and the laws ‘On the State Duty’, ‘On the Budgetary System’ and ‘On Cashless Settlements’.

The deputy head of the committee referred to the comprehensive discussion of the Bills included in the budget parcel at committee meetings and parliamentary plena, and to the rather detailed information on the parcel that Minister of Finance Samir Sharifov had provided. Overall, the attitude towards the largest budget in the country's history is very positive; but certain changes have been proposed all the same, according to Ali Masimli.

Next, Deputy Minister of Finance Azer Bayramov said that the next-year state budget projections were sufficient for the state obligations to be met and for economic stability and development to be maintained alike.  Mr Bayramov also shed light on the points that MPs had made during precedent deliberations, and commented on their pertinent proposals and suggestions.

Saying that the price per a barrel of crude oil in the State Budget corresponds to the lowest projection available from global financial institutions, Deputy Minister pointed to the continuing decline in crude oil's share of the gross domestic product and budget revenues.

According to Mr Bayramov, the budgetary corrections also have to do with the costs incurred by the launches of new embassies and other diplomatic outposts and a number of other matters; naturally, all those adjustments are drawn up in keeping with the effective legislation.

First Deputy Minister of Economy Elnur Aliyev, in turn, mentioned the favourable reviews of our country by both the World Bank and the IMF. He added that the next-year State Budget had been wrought in line with the Azerbaijan-2030 National Socio-Economic Development Priorities, meaning, the Bill places the stress of maintaining the equilibrium and ensuring sustainable development.

As he spoke about provincial investments and generation of financial opportunities up country, First Deputy Chairman of the Central Bank Rashad Orujov emphasised the importance of having financial institutions use guarantee mechanism instruments more actively and broadly.

First Deputy Chief of the State Customs Service Samir Musayeva told of the amendments to the Tax Code and, whilst doing so, underscored the focussed attention paid to subsidising social insurance in the de-occupied territories.

The MPs Vahid Ahmadov, Ziyad Samadzade, Vugar Bayramov, Mahir Abbaszade, Aydin Huseynov, Rufat Guliyev and Mazahir Efendiyev as well as a department head from the State Customs Committee Mirgasim Vahabov voiced their considerations, comments and suggestions as deliberations followed.

It was proposed ultimately that the Bills should be brought before the Milli Majlis plenum in the second reading.

The deputy head of the parliamentary committee said then that the remaining items on the agenda dealt with four Bills in the 1^st reading. The very next three of those contained:

• Amendments to the Civil Code;
• Amendments to the Code of Civil Procedure, the Tax Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure;
• Amendments to the Laws ‘On Currency Regulation’, ‘On Counter-Terrorism’, ‘On Notaries’, ‘On the State Duty’, ‘On Banks’, ‘On the State Register of Real Estate’ and ‘On Mortgage’;  and
• Amendments to the Law ‘On Investment Funds’.

The purpose of all the three Bills was to ensure harmonisation with the already-enacted amendments in the securities legislation.

As regards amendments to the Migration Code and the Law ‘On the “Alyat” Free Economic Zone’, then, they were to introduce a legal framework to regulate both the issuance of entry visas for those about to work in the said FEZ and the temporary stay in the territory of the country of overseas nationals and stateless persons arriving for that purpose.

The committee members recommended that those Bills, too, should be tabled at the Milli Majlis plenum – in the first reading, this time.

Amongst the other participants of the committee meeting were the MPs Igbal Mammadov, Mashhur Mammadov and Anar Mammadov as well Deputy Minister for Labour and Social Protection of the Population Anar Karimov.

The Press and Public Relations Department

The Milli Majlis