BALTIC SEAENVIRONMENT PROCEEDINGS No. 59 - Helcom

The Programme was submitted to the Russian Government for con-
sideration and inclusion in the List of Federal Ecological Priority
Programmes in order to provide necessary conditions for its imple-
mentation in Russia. It was also included in the Draft Federal Pro-
gramme of the Economy Re-structuring, which is under consideration
by the Government.
The Environmental Law of Russia defined the competence of fede-
ral, regional and local executive authorities and enterprises-users
of natural resources in matters concerning elaboration and implemen-
tation of ecological programmes. Nevertheless, in 1992 the most ca-
pital-intensive environmental measures were financed from the fede-
ral budget, but in much less amounts than before.
Governmental financial support from the federal budget is still
envisaged for implementation of federal ecological programmes and
international environmental obligations of Russia. But the local
budgets of all levels and the budgets of enterprises-useIsof natu-
ral resources should become the main financial source. Besides, fi-
nancial reseurces of newly established ecological funds will be al-
located for these purposes.
In order to make this idea real and workable we started in 1993
%o apply more actively in our environmental practice new economic
instruments and a system of ecological restrictions :-nd regulations
to adJust in to market economy conditions. Much was done in this
respect already in 1992, but still our country is not in a position
to provide a reliable financial support for environmental measures
im_plementation from the national sources.
Efforts of our environmental authorities are aimed at keeping
the ecological safety of the population at the existing level and
preventin an increase of ecological damage to the neibouring states.
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