Decision No. 08/2005/NQ-CP On the regular meeting in June 2005

RESOLUTION

Regarding the regular meeting in June 2005

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During two days, June 30 and July 1, 2005, the Government held its regular monthly meeting, discussed and adopted the following issues:

1. The Government heard the Minister in charge of the Sports Committee report on the Program to enhance physical fitness and stature of Vietnamese people (through nutritional and sports measures).

In recent years, the Party, State, and people have paid great attention to the issue of improving population quality. However, at present, compared with international standards, the height, physical fitness, and endurance of Vietnamese youth are still very limited. To improve the quality of human resources in terms of physical fitness and stature, there has been an overall program implemented synchronously with various solutions, including those related to nutrition and sports.

The Sports Committee is assigned to take the lead, coordinate with the Government Office, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education and Training, the Population, Family, and Children Committee, and other relevant agencies, to incorporate the opinions of Government members to perfect the content of the Program and submit it for approval by the Prime Minister. The Program must ensure comprehensiveness; be linked with the overall strategy for developing Vietnamese people, with the labor and production environment, with society and families; mobilize the whole society to invest and participate in caring for and enhancing the physical fitness and stature of Vietnamese people.

2. The Government heard the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications present the draft Law on Information Technology; heard the Government Office's report summarizing the opinions of Government members on the draft Law.

Information technology plays a crucial role in enhancing the effectiveness of human capabilities and intelligence; fundamentally changing management methods, learning methods, and working methods. Our Party and State have issued many guiding documents and concentrated resources for the development of information technology. Therefore, in recent years, the application and development of information technology in our country have achieved significant results. The telecommunications network has covered the entire country with high quality, the number of mobile phone and Internet users has increased rapidly; over 50% of Ministries and sectors and 80% of provinces and centrally-administered cities have electronic websites, 100% of universities and more than 90% of secondary schools have connected to the Internet. However, up to now, legal documents regulating information technology activities are scattered, lacking coordination, and have low effectiveness and enforcement power. The promulgation of the Law on Information Technology will create a complete legal framework, creating conditions for the development of information technology, serving the industrialization and modernization of the country better; at the same time, improving the efficiency of state management in this field.

The Posts and Telecommunications Ministry is assigned to take the lead, coordinate with the Government Office, the Ministry of Justice, and other relevant agencies, to incorporate the opinions of Government members to perfect the draft Law. The Minister of Posts and Telecommunications shall submit this draft Law to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly under the authority delegated by the Prime Minister.

3. The Government heard the Minister of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs present the draft Law on Social Insurance; heard the Government Office's report summarizing the opinions of Government members on the draft Law.

Social insurance is one of the major policies of our Party and State, which has been continuously developed firmly and steadily through different periods; the scope of social insurance participants has expanded. However, up to now, the system of legal regulations governing social insurance activities is scattered, overlapping, and mostly below the level of Law. To codify current regulations and supplement and amend new policies in line with the country's development, ensuring the rights of workers, the promulgation of the Law on Social Insurance is truly necessary.

The Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs is assigned to take the lead, coordinate with the Government Office, the Ministry of Justice, and other relevant agencies, to incorporate the opinions of Government members to perfect the draft Law. The Minister of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs shall submit this draft Law to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly under the authority delegated by the Prime Minister.

4. The Government heard the Minister of Planning and Investment present the draft Law on Investment and the draft Law on Enterprises (unified); heard the Government Office's report summarizing the opinions of Government members on the two draft Laws.

Implementing the renewal process, building a socialist-oriented market economy system, in recent years, the State has enacted many laws related to investment and enterprises; timely institutionalized the Party's policies and guidelines on economic reform, improved the business environment, established important legal frameworks regulating activities in the fields of investment and enterprise, contributing significantly to the achievements of the renewal process and socio-economic development. Despite this, separating investment and enterprise activities according to economic components with different regulations has led to unequal treatment, hindering economic growth, and failing to promote healthy competition. In response to the demands of socio-economic development and international economic integration, the promulgation of the Law on Investment and the unified Law on Enterprises is extremely urgent.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment is assigned to take the lead, coordinate with the Government Office, the Ministry of Justice, and other relevant agencies, to incorporate the opinions of Government members to perfect the two draft Laws and submit them for consideration and decision by the Prime Minister to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly. The perfection of the two draft Laws must ensure the inheritance of provisions that remain appropriate from previous Laws; amendments and supplements to new content must be carefully considered, ensuring clarity and transparency, aligning with requirements for international economic integration and the interests of the country; administrative procedures should be reduced without increasing organizational structures and staff.

5. The Government listens to the Minister of Planning and Investment's report on the results of the production, import-export, and investment meeting for June and the socio-economic situation in the first six months of 2005, along with solutions for the remaining months of the year; examines the Trade Situation Report for June and the first six months of 2005, submitted by the Ministry of Trade; the Mid-Year Review of Government Directive and Management in 2005, submitted by the Government Office; and the State Administrative Reform Work Report for the first six months of 2005 and key tasks for the last six months of 2005, submitted by the Government Administrative Reform Steering Committee.

In the first six months of the year, severe drought occurred in many localities, particularly in the Central Highlands and South Central regions, significantly impacting production and daily life of the people, with a high risk of forest fires; avian influenza re-emerged over a wide area; prices consistently increased and exhibited complex fluctuations... In response to this situation, the Government made numerous innovations in its directives and management, closely adhering to reality, formulating appropriate policies and solutions, and firmly implementing them. As a result, the socio-economic situation in the first six months continued to develop and achieve considerable success across multiple fronts. Economic growth reached 7.6%. Macroeconomic balances were maintained stably. International economic integration activities were actively implemented; exports and services developed; investment capital mobilization and state budget revenue increased. Many unusual situations were handled well, such as: controlling price increases for consumer goods and services; containing and extinguishing avian influenza outbreaks; promptly providing assistance to mitigate the effects of drought, restore production, and improve the living conditions of affected areas' residents...

Social activities showed progress, cultural life was enriched and became more diverse; poverty reduction efforts continued to be sustained and expanded; the quality of educational and healthcare activities improved; social evils and traffic accidents tended to decrease.

However, the achievements in the first six months also pose heavy responsibilities for the remaining months of 2005 regarding both quality, growth rates, and production competitiveness. To meet international economic integration requirements and prepare for the 2006-2010 plan, the Government requests that ministries, sectors, and localities strive diligently, resolve difficulties, effectively implement socio-economic development measures outlined in Resolution No. 01/2005/NQ-CP; focus on mobilizing maximum resources for development investment, accelerating disbursement, especially for projects with high efficiency and quick impact, those funded by government bonds; enhance industrial production efficiency; implement flexible and prudent monetary policy; manage prices in accordance with market mechanisms and international economic integration processes, strengthen supervision, combat speculation, and smuggling; boost exports and production for export; continue implementing the overall administrative reform program towards institutional reform, creating a favorable environment for business development, simplifying administrative procedures related to citizens and businesses; intensify inspection work, resolutely fight corruption, practice thrift; care for improving workers' and retirees' living standards; strongly implement measures to control and address pressing social issues such as traffic accidents, crime, drugs, prostitution; maintain national security, public order, and social safety; in the short term, focus on organizing the nationwide university and college entrance exams well; forecast and prepare adequately for flood and storm prevention work.

Ministries and sectors urgently review programs in the Government's work program for the last six months of the year, focusing on practical and feasible proposals; increase the responsibility of the main drafting agencies to ensure timely completion of programs with high quality.