Astana, Kazakhstan, Dec.24
By Daniyar Mukhtarov - Trend:
Majilis (lower chamber) of the Parliament of Kazakhstan accepted the amendments of the Senate to the bill "On amendments and additions to some legislative acts of Kazakhstan on subsoil use" at the plenary session Dec.24.
The law contains the following conceptual and system amendments: a simplified procedure for granting rights for subsoil use using the experience of Australia, the introduction of the auction as a new method for selecting the winner of the contest, the optimization of the provisions of the model contract (reducing duplicate text by 98 percent), reduction of the required expertise on contracts by up to 60 percent, exclusion of feasibility study from the list of mandatory project documents.
In addition, it is provided to exempt the subsoil users on the extraction of solid minerals from the obligation to coordinate changes in the contract when changing the production volumes within 20 percent of the design parameters, regulation of mineral exploitation issues in cases of expansion of the contract area, the terms for elimination of violations in cases of extension of the contract territory are provided, deadlines to eliminate violations by the subsoil users are provided. Thus, relationships of the competent authority and subsoil users on the issues of implementation of contracts are regulated.
Adoption of the law will help to ensure transparency of making decisions by the state authorities, avoiding the possibility of illegal interference in business, lifting administrative barriers at all levels. All this will lead to the expected inflow of foreign direct investment and business development in the field of geological exploration and creation of new jobs.