Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung: "Responsibility must be firmly enforced."

"Nothing beats responsibility. How can we ensure accountability? Whoever makes the decision must be clearly held responsible; don't just accept vague collective responsibility..."

On the morning of July 30, under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, the Government held its regular monthly meeting for July.

Government members focused on analyzing and commenting on the socio-economic situation in July and the first seven months of the year; the implementation of Government Resolution No. 01 on the main tasks and solutions for directing and managing the implementation of the socio-economic development plan and the state budget estimate for 2014; and some tax solutions to overcome difficulties and obstacles in order to promote the development of enterprises.

In his opening remarks at the meeting, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung once again emphasized the Government's determination to strive to achieve the targets and objectives set at the beginning of this year.

Based on the Report on the socio-economic situation in July and the first seven months of the year, the Prime Minister requested that Government members focus their discussions on major issues, delve into analysis, forecasting, and assessment of the feasibility and efforts to achieve growth targets in each sector, especially industry, agriculture, and services, and propose feasible solutions to achieve the overall target of 5.8% GDP growth for the whole year of 2014.

Overview of the Government meeting

The Prime Minister stated that it is necessary to consider solutions to increase aggregate demand in conjunction with increasing credit outstanding, resolving bad debts, and facilitating capital flows to ensure greater macroeconomic stability.

The Prime Minister also noted the task of restructuring the economy, focusing on restructuring public investment, ending the situation of scattered investment with specific responsibilities; and accelerating the restructuring of state-owned enterprises and banks.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung stated: “We have taken an important and significant step in restructuring public investment. We are striving to control and ensure that public investment is effective, overcoming the situation where we are criticized every year for scattered, inefficient, and wasteful investments. Recently, we introduced a key solution: medium-term investment, creating lists and projects, and clearly assigning responsibilities, although we still need to work on accountability. I say nothing is more important than accountability; we must firmly hold everyone accountable. Whoever makes the decision must bear clear responsibility, not just vague collective responsibility…”

Regarding state-owned enterprises, the Prime Minister stated: “Restructuring requires many synchronized measures to place state-owned enterprises in a competitive and equal environment within the market mechanism. The crucial and decisive solutions mentioned in the Central Committee Resolution are the privatization of enterprises. Are there any remaining obstacles? Or is the only remaining issue simply the organization and implementation?”

Regarding bank restructuring, the Prime Minister emphasized: "Bank restructuring has made significant progress, but there are still issues that need to be resolutely addressed to make the banking system healthier. A strong banking system, the lifeblood of the economy, will lead to a healthier economy."

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung also requested that government members provide feedback on the draft Resolution on tax solutions so that it can be issued soon to alleviate difficulties for businesses.

Along with that, there will be a focus on reforming administrative procedures, primarily in the tax and customs sectors, with the goal of reducing the time and procedures involved by at least half by the end of the year; and simultaneously continuing to strongly reform administrative procedures in the land sector.

Ensuring the safety of Vietnamese workers in Libya.

Regarding Vietnamese workers in Libya, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung requested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to coordinate with the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs to develop a plan with the highest goal of ensuring the safety of more than 1,500 Vietnamese workers in Libya.

Regarding the socio-economic situation in July and the first seven months of 2014, the report from the Ministry of Planning and Investment affirms that many positive results have continued to be achieved.

Inflation is under control, the consumer price index (CPI) is rising at a low rate, market prices are stable, and the supply and demand of goods are ensured; interest rates, exchange rates, and the foreign exchange market are stable; exports maintain high growth momentum and continue to have a trade surplus; disbursement of FDI, ODA, and preferential loans is quite good; industrial production, especially the processing and manufacturing industries, continues to recover month by month; agricultural production is maintained and developed well; the service sector achieves high growth rates; social security continues to be ensured; political security and social order and safety are maintained.

Along with discussing and evaluating the socio-economic situation of the country, today and tomorrow, the Government will also discuss and contribute opinions on the Report on some mechanisms and policies for health development and a number of draft laws such as: the Draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Special Consumption Tax; the Draft Law on Occupational Safety and Health; the Draft Law on Marine and Island Environmental Resources; the Draft Law on Military Service (amended)..../.

According to VOV