Deputy Minister for Far East Development: Law on northern deliveries was developed in regions
© Vladimir Naskidaev

Deputy Minister for Far East Development: Law on northern deliveries was developed in regions

Russia will introduce a unified planning system for northern deliveries of goods to the Arctic to accurately track the needs of locals. In order to do this, the Northern Deliveries (Severny Zavoz)  state information system is being created, First Deputy Minister for the Development of the Far East and Arctic Gadzhimagomed Guseinov said at the plenary session of the 8th International Conference, The Arctic: Sustainable Development (Arctic 2023).

“It was not just the government that drafted the law; there was a working and expert group, and it is important that our regions were involved in the process, too. In fact, this law was written in the regions,” Gadzhimagomed Guseinov noted.

He added that experts traveled to the Arctic regions so that they could understand what was happening there with the deliveries in order to create the document.

The draft law envisages dividing the goods delivered to the northern deliveries areas into three categories: the first category is essential goods; the second category is cargoes for state and municipal needs; and the third is other goods not included in the first two categories.

The draft law On the Northern Deliveries, which the Government introduced to the State Duma on February 22, 2023, was submitted to the relevant committee for the development of the Far East and Arctic, according to the lower house of parliament.

According to the Duma regulations for the passage of bills, at this stage the documents received by the relevant committee are checked for compliance with the established requirements.

The draft law On the Northern Deliveries envisages a radically new system of delivery management, introduces the concept of northern deliveries, and delegates the responsibilities of different levels of government. According to the document, cargo will be divided into three categories for processing in ports and terminals on a priority basis. There are plans to introduce digital identification and improve the mechanisms for purchasing goods for the northern deliveries. This includes federal support measures. A single maritime operator will deliver high-priority consignments to northern regions by sea at subsidized rates.

Today, the northern deliveries program includes 25 Russian regions where more than three million people live. More than 87 billion rubles are allocated annually for the purchase and delivery of over 3 million metric tons of cargo.