The Official Letter on administrative procedure reform and business environment improvement

On 01/6/2023, the Prime Minister issued the Official Letter No. 493/TTg-KSTT on reforming administrative procedures and improving the business environment.

Accordingly, in order to continue to strongly and drastically promote the reform of administrative procedures, and improve the substantive and effective business environment, the Prime Minister requested the Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies and Chairmen of the People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities to urgently and seriously implement as follows:

- To focus on reviewing, reducing and simplifying regulations and administrative procedures related to investment, production, business and people's lives, ensure at least 20% reduction and simplification in the regulation and cut at least 20% of compliance costs according to the Government's direction in the Resolution No. 68/NQ-CP dated May 12, 2020, the Resolution No. 76/NQ-CP dated July 15, 2021 and the Resolution No. 131/NQ-CP dated October 6, 2022, which proposes to immediately reduce unnecessary procedures and intermediate steps; overlapping, non-quantifiable business conditions for the transparency in inspection, appraisal, evaluation and approval; specialized inspection activities still overlap, with the participation of many agencies and units; at the same time, research and propose solutions to socialize eligible public administrative services. To complete and submit to the Prime Minister for approval of the reduction and simplification plan before September 30, 2023.

- To strictly carry out impact assessment, comment, appraise and verify administrative procedures in proposals, projects and draft legal documents, in which resolutely promulgate new administrative procedures in case it is really necessary to manage and adjust new social relations.

- To strengthen decentralization, authorization, and resource allocation in the implementation of administrative procedures; process restructuring, provide online public services in a user-centered direction, avoid formalities, movements, insubstantiality and inefficiency.

- To expeditiously make statistics, review, reduce and simplify at least 20% of internal administrative procedures in order to improve the effectiveness and operational efficiency of the state administrative apparatus according to the plan promulgated together with the Decision No. 1085/QD-TTg dated September 15, 2022 of the Prime Minister.

- To make public, transparent, full, accurate and timely information on administrative procedures and the process of receiving and handling administrative procedures for people and businesses to access, monitor, supervise and assess during the implementation of administrative procedures. Ministries, branches and localities shall review, announce, update and fully publicize the constituent parts of administrative procedures on the National Database on Administrative Procedures in accordance with the provisions of Article 8 of the Decree. No. 63/2010/ND-CP dated June 8, 2010 of the Government (amended and supplemented), completed in September 2023.

- To assess the quality of service for people and businesses in handling administrative procedures, provide public services based on real-time data as prescribed in the Decision No. 766/QD-TTg dated June 23, 2022 of the Prime Minister; improve service quality and satisfaction level, in which, strengthening administrative discipline, regularly inspecting and strictly handling, announcing and publicizing cadres, civil servants, public employees, agencies and units causing delays and troubles, especially giving rise to additional procedures, records, papers, requirements and conditions that are not in accordance with regulations in the process of receiving and handling administrative procedures.

- To strengthen accountability, perform well in receiving and handling complaints and recommendations on administrative regulations to promptly handle difficulties, problems and inadequacies for people and businesses. To put an end to extrusion, no-handling, or extending processing times.

In addition, the Prime Minister assigned specific tasks to the ministries: Planning and Investment, Justice, Home Affairs and the Government Office.