On 28 May the President of the Republic of Belarus signed Decree No 265 which brought changes and additions to Decree No 72 ‘ On Measures for the State Regulation of the Relations in Arranging and Organising the Construction of Dwelling Houses, Engineering, Transport and Social Infrastructure Facilities’ of 7 February 2006.

With a view to assuring the priority construction of engineering, transport and social infrastructure facilities in residential development areas, all organisations, regardless of their form of property, are allowed to finance the designing and construction of engineering, transport and social infrastructure facilities.

Private organisations, if duly licensed, will be able to invest their funds in the construction of these facilities. As a result, there will be an increase in the number of operating organisations, which will alleviate the pressure on the national budget; equal rights will be granted to organisations of all property forms to stimulate this process; construction process will be accelerated.

Today the financing of the designing and construction of engineering, transport and social infrastructure facilities comes from the republican and local budgets (including the money allocated from the road fund and other special-purpose state budget funds, money raised on the sale of tenancy contracts or sale of the related land parcels) from the organisations forming part of the Belarusian State Energy Concern, gas supply organisations forming part of the Belarusian Fuel and Gas Concern, organisations subordinate to the Ministry of Communication and Informatisation, Ministry of Transport and Communications.

The Decree will help speed up the process of financing the construction of engineering, transport and social infrastructure facilities, dwelling commission, including for the citizens on the housing improvement waiting list.