On 21/4/2022, the Government issued the Resolution No. 57/NQ-CP on the tasks and solutions to perfect the institution for linking socio-economic regions.
According to the Resolution, regional linkage is a very important issue and directed by the Party at the Documents of the 8th, 10th, 11th Congresses, most recently in the 10-year socio-economic development strategy from 2021 to 2030. Over the years, the Government, the Prime Minister, the ministries and branches have paid attention, gradually perfected and concretized guidelines and policies to promote regional linkage. Relevant subjects, including ministries, branches, localities and business community, cooperatives, associations, research institutes, training institutions, households... have more actively participated in the regional linkage activities. The mechanism for conducting the policy of regional integration has initially been effective and efficient.
The Resolution sets out five guiding points and common goals as follows:
+ The goal is to perfect the institution of regional linkage in the 2021 - 2030 period in order to strengthen the central government's role in coordinating regional linkages, create information channels, and promote linkages amongl local governments in the region, contributing to improving regional competitiveness, mobilize diverse resources to support regional linkage activities and projects, make full use of internal and external resources of localities in the region, ensure the sustainable socio-economic development in the region. At the same time, perfecting the institution of regional linkage in order to develop synchronously and create linkages among regions associated with the linkages of economic sectors, production and business types; renovate decentralization and increase the coordination efficiency in state management by sectors and fields; harmoniously combine local and regional economic development on the basis of effectively promoting the potentials and strengths of each region and each locality.
+ Five guiding viewpoints are as follows:
- Regional linkage institutions must take regional planning as the legal basis and as the center for coordinating regional linkage activities; promote the coordinating, pivotal and effective role of the central government; mobilize the participation and cohesion among the parties involved in regional linkage on the basis of respect, harmonization of interests, encourage flexibility and creativity, ensure the creation and reinforcement of mutual trust.
- To perfect the institution of regional linkage to ensure the substance, effectiveness, feasibility, non-perfectionist, inherit the good results and practices in the previous period; and give the highest priority to the interests of the country and the whole region, ensure the national defense and security, at the same time promoting the comparative advantages of each locality in the region.
- To build a regional apparatus with sufficient authority, capacity and resources to effectively perform the role of directing, coordinating and facilitating local governments to carry out regional linkage, especially in the fields of: the development of regional infrastructure; management and exploitation of water resources; effective adaption to climate change, preventing, combating and mitigating natural disasters and epidemics; managing, exploiting and using resources reasonably, economically, efficiently and sustainably; environmental protection, biodiversity conservation; building a green, circular, and environmentally friendly economy; promoting national culture; crime prevention,...
- The institution of regional linkage needs to ensure the synchronous, consistent and effective operation of legal provisions on regional linkage and discipline in the performance of regional policies.
- The institution of regional linkage needs completing according to the roadmap, consistent with the requirements of administrative reform, streamlining the apparatus, avoiding arising procedures and intermediaries.
General tasks of ministries, branches and the provincial-level People's Committees are as follows:
- To speed up the implementation of tasks assigned by the Government and the Prime Minister in the Resolution No. 128/NQ-CP dated September 11, 2020 on the tasks and solutions to promote the development of key economic regions; the Resolution No. 99/NQ-CP dated June 24, 2020 on promoting the decentralization of state management by sectors and fields; the Decision No. 825/QD-TTg dated June 12, 2020 on the establishment and promulgation of the Regulation on operation of the Coordinating Council of the Mekong Delta in the period of 2020 - 2025; the Directive No. 19/CT-TTg dated July 19, 2019 on the solutions to promote growth and sustainable development of the Southern key economic region; the Directive No. 25/CT-TTg dated October 11, 2019 on the solutions to promote growth and sustainable development of the Northern key economic region; and the Directive No. 27/CT-TTg dated November 19, 2019 on the solutions to promote growth and sustainable development in the Central region, send it every 6 months to the Ministry of Planning and Investment to summarize and report to the Prime Minister.
- To review relevant plannings (within their competence, functions and tasks) to adjust or coordinate with relevant agencies to newly build or adjust sectoral master plans to suit the development needs of the region and the 2017 Planning Law.
- To actively coordinate in building a database of information of ministries, branches, localities and regional information in order to increase information sharing and access to information, create favorable conditions for raising the frequency, effective coordination among localities in resource management and environmental protection; natural disaster prevention and mitigation, climate change in order to achieve common goals and promote the sustainable development of regions.
- To organize propaganda, raise awareness and renew thinking of concerned officials, civil servants and public employees about the benefits of regional linkage and the consequences of lack of cooperation for national, regional and local economies.
- To review and consolidate investment activities to upgrade and strengthen the potential of research institutes and centers under ministries and central branches located in socio-economic regions so that these institutions can have sufficient capacity and conditions to solve the problems posed by the region.
- To regularly exchange and make dialogue with ministries, sectors and localities participating in the regional coordination and business community to grasp needs, problems and difficulties in the process of policy formulation and implementation on the regional development, from which solutions or recommendations are made to competent authorities for timely consideration and removal.
In addition, the Resolution also sets out specific tasks and solutions for ministries and central branches.