The Russian Government has approved a list of regions of the Far North and equivalent status territories. The list includes parts of the republics of Altai, Buryatia, Karelia, Komi and Tyva, Trans-Baikal, Krasnoyarsk, Khabarovsk, Perm and Primorye territories, Amur, Arkhangelsk, Irkutsk, Sakhalin, Tomsk, Tyumen regions and the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area. It also includes Yakutia, Magadan and Murmansk regions, Nenets, Chukotka and Yamalo-Nenets autonomous areas as well as the Kamchatka Territory in full.

“The list of regions of the Far North was compiled in 1992–1994, and amended later on numerous occasions. Its new version has a clearer structure and conforms to the current territorial and municipal division of the country,” a statement posted on the government’s official Telegram channel says.

The document states that the residents of all localities covered by the previous versions of the list will keep the benefits, government guarantees and compensations for which they are eligible.

President of Russian Federation Vladimir Putin has signed a law extending "The Far Eastern Hectare" program to the territory of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation, the corresponding document is published on the official Internet portal of legal information.

"The Far Eastern Hectare" program, which allows citizens of the Russian Federation to choose, register and get a land plot in the Far East for free, was launched in 2016. During its operation, more than 90 thousand people received land plots.

As the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin explained earlier, the borders of the territory in the Arctic will be expanded, within which it will be possible to get a preferential hectare. Citizens will be able to take land plots under a simplified procedure and in a shorter time. At the same time, special attention will be paid to preserving the traditions and culture of indigenous, small-numbered peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East, the head of the Cabinet of Ministers noted.

In addition, the law allows for the possibility for a citizen who has successfully mastered and acquired ownership or lease of "the Far Eastern hectare" previously provided to him, in addition to it, to receive a land plot with an area of up to one hectare. Such measures will make it possible to more actively involve unused lands in economic turnover both in the Far Eastern Federal District and in the Arctic zone, Mishustin believes. And most importantly, in his opinion, these hectares will give people an incentive to start their own business, build housing for their family, increase their income, make life more comfortable.

Participants at the 22nd April International Conference of the Higher School of Economics has suggested making Arctic development a separate national project.  Specialists believe that the launching of the national Arctic project will make it possible to involve industrial enterprises and research centers in developing the northern territories. Experts see the Northern Sea Route as the main element and driving force of regional growth.

“The Arctic’s natural wealth and nature conservation projects should become a foundation for generating added value by localizing hi-tech and resource-intensive production facilities and by creating a segment of national service companies catering to Arctic projects. The development of the Arctic should become a genuine national project by directly involving the industry, research centers and attendant production facilities from other Russian regions, including the Ural, Sibir,  Far East and others, rather than through more substantial federal funding. This can also be accomplished by comprehensively activating their competitive advantages inside regional added-value generating chains that encompass the whole of Russia. The development of the Northern Sea Route, the reinstatement of inter-regional transport and logistic routes as well as their development will play a key role in accomplishing this task,” according to a report called Russia’s Arctic Policy: International Aspects produced Anastasia Likhachyova, Ilya Stepanov, Dmitry Suslov, Igor Makarov, Vasily Kashin and Darya Boklan.

They believe that Russia is more interested in developing the Arctic than most other countries. The polar region accounts for 10 percent of this country’s GDP and 20 percent of its total exports. This can turn northern areas into a base for hi-tech centers catering to Arctic projects. Their transport support will make it easier to use the Northern Sea Route.

The report’s authors also underscore the need for retaining the region’s legal status. As ice formations continue to melt due to global warming, non-Arctic states are becoming more interested in the northern territories.

“A demand to abolish the current system for managing the Arctic by Arctic countries is being voiced more often,” the report’s authors note.

This challenge calls for expediting the development of the northern territories. To claim the right to control virtually ownerless stretches of water is one thing. But it is an entirely different matter to vie for intensive transport routes with a ramified coastal infrastructure.

According to Dmitry Fishkin, the project can only succeed if it involves various agencies, regions, and  if it acquires an international aspect. The expert singled out several key subjects during the national project’s elaboration:

-         the Arctic climate and permafrost;

-         the Arctic environment;

-         transport routes and the Northern Sea Route;

-         living space: cities and towns, rotation-shift workers and indigenous Northern ethnic groups;

-         new technologies for polar conditions;

-         development of the Arctic: geological prospecting and handling hard-to-extract resources;

-         self-contained power supply and small nuclear power plants.

Today, the Arctic claims the right to have a resource-intensive but innovative economy, with nature conservation organizations watching it closely. In turn, the state implements a socially oriented policy there.

Moreover, the Arctic agenda can bring together northern regions for the sake of thed common cause - developing the North. For this purpose, the authorities and residents of the polar territories should realize that the project aims to attract resources, rather than siphon them off from the regions.

The Government of the Russian Federation submitted a positive response to the deputy bill, which excludes the state environmental expertise (SEE) of the project documentation of drilling wells in the Arctic, as well as social and transport infrastructure facilities on the government's list. The draft law is supported by the Government, taking into account the comments.
The Assembly draws attention to the fact that the amendments provided for in the draft law require corresponding amendments to the Urban Planning Code.
As reported, the bill was submitted to the State Duma in late January by a group of deputies and senators. It is proposed to exclude the SEE of social and transport infrastructure facilities, the list of which will be established by the government. These objects should not be included in the I and II categories of objects that have a negative impact on the environment.
The proposed draft law proposes to exclude the use of SEE for the design documentation of drilling wells created on a land plot provided to a subsurface user and necessary for regional geological study, exploration and production of oil and natural gas.
If adopted, the law on the abolition of the SEE for a number of objects will enter into force 45 days from the date of its official publication and will apply to the rights and obligations that arose after the entry into force of the law "On State Support for Business Activities in the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation". At the moment, the date of consideration of the bill in the parliament has not yet been determined.

Strategy for the development of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation and ensuring national security for the period up to 2035, approved by Russian President Vladimir Putin on October 26, 2020. The text of the document is posted on the official web resource of the President of the Russian Federation.

Publication: http://www.kremlin.ru/acts/bank/45972

Deputies of the Arkhangelsk regional Assembly adopted the regional law on regional benefits for residents of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation in two readings on Wednesday, said Viktor Ikonnikov, Deputy Chairman of the government of the Arkhangelsk region for project activities.
In the Arkhangelsk region, nine municipalities belong to the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation: Arkhangelsk, Novodvinsk, Severodvinsk, Onega, Primorsky, Leshukonsky, Mezensky, Pinezhsky districts and Novaya Zemlya.
"Today the decision was made in two readings. At the regional level, income tax benefits will be provided: for the first five years from the date of receipt of the first profit, the rate will be 5%, and for the next five years-10%. For property tax, the first five years 0.1%, the next five years 1.1%, " said Ikonnikov.
In addition, within five years, when applying the simplified tax system, rates will be at the minimum level that the Tax code of the Russian Federation currently allows. "This is 1% for the object of taxation of income and 5% for the object of taxation of income minus expenses," the source added.
The Deputy Chairman of the regional government noted that Federal benefits for residents of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation can be applied only if the region establishes its own preferences for investors. "The Federal component of 3% in the income tax is reset to zero, but it only works if the region has made a decision on its benefits. It doesn't matter what, but that the benefits are accepted," he said.
Ikonnikov noted that now there is even competition between the Arctic regions to attract investors who are looking at both local preferences for residents and the opportunities of the subject of the Federation. "We looked at what decisions other regions make," he explained. - For example, the company decided where to register the business, in the Arkhangelsk region or not. And at first they planned not in the Arkhangelsk region, because at the first stage of development, the main contracts, the main work will be outside of our region. We showed the draft law that was formed by the regional government that the benefits are better than in the region where they planned. This, in our opinion, also influenced the decision to register and conduct business in the Arkhangelsk region."
As explained by the Agency's interlocutor, we are talking about the company "Arctic invest Stroy", the volume of investment is planned to be 717 million rubles, 108 jobs will be created. "This is a transport project that will work throughout the Russian Arctic," he added. - This is a good project for the Arkhangelsk region: more than a hundred jobs. The company will provide transportation services in the Russian Arctic for the development of oil and gas projects in the first place. Perhaps further plans will be adjusted and there will be other orders."
According to Ikonnikov, the advantage of the Arkhangelsk region is that a fairly large part of the region's territory is assigned to the Arctic zone, while a significant part of the population lives in the Arctic municipalities and most large industrial enterprises are located. "This is a good incentive for the emergence of new projects and existing enterprises, and the arrival of new business here," he said.