Vitebsk businessmen took part in the V International Entrepreneurship Forum in Minsk

This forum, which brought together representatives of the Vitebsk Region Employers' and Entrepreneurs' Association, has become a platform for dialogue between business and government and for finding solutions to issues relevant to the private sector.

And there are many such issues in the current global crisis. Nevertheless, enterprising people are working. As is known, business is more flexible; it adapts more quickly to changing market realities. And every year, more and more people are employed in the private sector. Today, this constitutes one-third of the country's economically active population, which generates one-quarter of the GDP and almost one-third of budget revenues. This was announced by the Minister of Economy of Belarus, Vladimir Zinovsky. In his opinion, there are prospects for increasing these figures, for strengthening the power of business, and for creating new economic entities.

– Program documents for supporting entrepreneurship are being developed, and the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the Development Bank of the Republic of Belarus are joining financial assistance efforts. The accessibility of credit resources, maximum stability of the tax system (we have not raised or introduced new taxes for five years), reduction of excessive control, and improvement of the educational level are steps that the government will take to create favorable conditions for the functioning of the business environment. I hope we will succeed in giving new impetus to private initiative, – noted Vladimir Zinovsky.

The fact that entrepreneurs are the driving force of any economy was recalled by the Chairman of the Board of OJSC "Development Bank of the Republic of Belarus" Sergei Rumas, who focuses on manufacturing business and innovation, offering corresponding financial instruments. Next year, the bank plans to allocate about 800 billion rubles to support entrepreneurship. New financial instruments for supporting small and medium-sized businesses, success stories of well-known people in the country, foreign experience in developing the private sector of the economy, innovations in their business, fostering entrepreneurship in the new generation – the forum program was very intense. Representatives of the country's government, diplomatic missions, business associations, banks, private companies, mentors, and foreign experts participated in the discussion, and various opinions and proposals were voiced. For example, it was noted that the low level of corporate governance and personnel, and the lack of accessible credit resources hinder improvement, and that it is necessary to create industry associations of entrepreneurs that would represent the interests of those employed in a particular field. According to the experts of the panel discussions, the dialogue between business and government is constantly developing, but it is not always conducted in the same language. In other words, noted the Deputy Chairman of the Council for the Development of Entrepreneurship in the Republic of Belarus Sergei Novitsky, business needs to express its position more clearly and convey it to the authorities, while at the same time learning to work civilized and adapt to changing market conditions. And the state should offer support, not hinder progress.

– It was a dialogue, and any dialogue is better than its absence. It is very important that we talked about the existing opportunities for business, as well as threats and problems, which will help us all move forward and emulate the best, – shared his impressions Leonid Shur, Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship Support and Technology Transfer – ODO "Vitebsk Business Center".

Olga Maslovskaya, photos by the author. "Vitebskie vesti".