«I believe this issue is very important and relevant for the country,» the Belarusian leader noted.

He asked the MPs to give serious attention to this issue: «Above all, the MPs need to shake themselves up. They are capable people. They should sit down together with the stakeholders and work through this bill. And not just look at ‘amendments and additions’ but take a comprehensive look at this law.»

The proposed innovations include the introduction of licensing for additional education of children and youth and for the installation and maintenance of intercoms, and also changes to the requirements for medical workers in the private healthcare sector.

The head of state proposed discussing the most contentious novelties in the document in order to determine approaches to its further refinement in Parliament. Speaking about the very term «licensing», Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that it is a kind of set of rules of the game. «At its core lies permission. If you have a license, you go and work. There can also be restrictions,» he said. «It must be understood that if we are talking about restrictions, they are a forced measure and must serve the good, not work to harm. The task is to protect people’s lives and health and to ensure the security of the state. Here we should not be afraid: it’s not excessive regulation when it comes to serious matters.»

According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, the law needs to settle the scope of licensing, including by studying the practices of other countries. «This law must be approached with the utmost seriousness. That is why I insist on reworking it entirely, not just amending and supplementing it,» the Belarusian leader emphasized.

«Licensing is not an end in itself. Any type of activity can be over-regulated. But excessive barriers, insufficiently balanced decisions, even poorly drafted wording can have a very adverse effect on both people and the economy,» the president noted. «Parliament and the government must clearly see the consequences of their decisions. It is important not to allow innovations that cater to departmental interests and could provoke a fair negative response in society. That, too, must be taken into account. But that is not the main thing. If it is necessary, then it is necessary. We need to understand how it will work in practice, and not only in Minsk but in a remote village as well. The law is the law.»

President Aleksandr Lukashenko convened a meeting to discuss licensing of certain types of activities. The bill to amend licensing laws prepared by the Economy Ministry has been submitted for consideration, BelTA has learned.

«I believe this issue is very important and relevant for the country,» the Belarusian leader noted.

He asked MPs to pay serious attention to this issue. The head of state proposed discussing the most contentious novelties in the document in order to determine approaches to its further refinement in Parliament.

Speaking about the very term «licensing», Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that it is a kind of set of rules of the game. «At its core lies permission. If you have a license, you go and work. There can also be restrictions,» he said. «It must be understood that if we are talking about restrictions, they are a forced measure and must serve the good, not work to harm.»

«Licensing is not an end in itself. Any type of activity can be over-regulated. But excessive barriers, insufficiently balanced decisions, even poorly drafted wording can have a very adverse effect on both people and the economy,» the president noted.

Summing up, the president once again set out the main approach: «We must not substitute administrative barriers for solving problems where they are not needed. More attention should also be paid to the results of public discussion of bills. Drafts that have been fully put to the judgment of the public should be submitted to the president. This is important too — to have a certain conclusion on how people perceive particular bills before they become laws. Legislation should be as stable as possible.»