OREANDA-NEWS. On 11 February 2009 was announced, that Belarus had drafted a presidential ordinance to reduce the number of licensed activities 40%, Deputy Director of the Department for Entrepreneurship with the Economy Ministry Yevgeny Semenov told reporters.

“This is a package document aimed to cut licensing of activities. We will be able to reduce the number of licensed activities more than 40%, to say nothing of application procedures and revocation of licenses,” he said.

Yevgeny Kovalenko with the Justice Ministry said the new ordinance would apply to licensing norms listed in presidential decree #17 dated July 14, 2003 and licensing of separate activities regulated by the government.

“We will be able to abrogate lots of regulatory acts and specify existing legislation,” Kovalenko said.

According to Semenov, the government will continue work to simplify administrative procedures.

“We plan to simplify certification procedures for construction operations, transport activities, etc. This will be a complex regulatory act,” he said.

Kovalenko added that the document would come into effect in the second half of 2009.