#1 - JRL 7139
RosBusinessConsulting
April 9, 2003
Finance Ministry proposes reducing state support for the media

The Finance Ministry suggests reducing state support for the mass media. This
proposal is contained in the materials prepared by the Finance Ministry after
a meeting of the government commission headed by Finance Minister Alexei
Kudrin The findings of the commission will be discussed at a government
meeting on April 10. According to the Finance Ministry, up to RUR 1.1bn
(about $35m) might be saved on the media in 2004.

The Finance Ministry also suggested that the government reconsider the
financing of the ITAR-TASS news agency, the Bolshoi Theater, Moscow State
University and Gosfilmofond, Russia's national film archive.

Russia is expected to save about RUR 37.2bn (about $1.19bn) by 2005, as a
result of measures to optimize government spending, Russian Finance Minister
Alexei Kudrin said after a meeting of the government's commission on
optimizing government spending on Tuesday last week. In 2004, the country
will save RUR 28.5bn (about $910.5m) as a result of lifting federal budget
obligations to certain ministries and departments.