NEWS

Edward’s East Strategies has prepared monthly monitoring reports on regulatory initiatives and personnel changes. We have expanded the scope of analysis – the new monitors include reviews of events in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Belarus from August 15 to September 15, 2024.

The period under review in Kazakhstan is characterized by the introduction of a moratorium on the establishment of entities in the quasi-state sector until 2026, aimed at liberalizing the economic system, as well as the approval of the Industrial Security Concept for 2024-2030. Additionally, the annual address by the President to the people of Kazakhstan took place, and a number of sectoral legislative changes were adopted.

In Uzbekistan, a National Investment Fund has been established from the shares of large state enterprises and commercial banks, and measures for the development of public-private partnerships until 2030 have been approved. Furthermore, a new vertical concept of industrial management has been introduced to develop the regional industrial potential in Uzbekistan.

In the legal arena of Kyrgyzstan, a significant event was the approval of the governmental legislative activity plan until June 30, 2025. In addition, the President returned a law on the prohibition of electronic cigarettes to Parliament, and normative legal acts were adopted regarding extended producer responsibility and recycling fees. A range of export and price restrictions has also been developed.

The last month in Belarus has been marked by legislative activity by regulators in the fields of water usage, mandatory labeling and traceability of goods, and customs regulation. For instance, it is proposed to introduce mandatory labeling for jewelry starting January 1, 2025, and to eliminate excessive requirements for indicating the quantity of packaged goods on packaging. It is also planned to allow legal entities to lease surface water bodies for recreation, sports, and tourism. The Ministry of Antimonopoly Regulation and Entrepreneurship is discussing the possibility of banning the remote sale of certain goods to minors.

The reviews also present other normative legal acts and appointments that are of interest to business.