Putin, likely successor focus on environment
MOSCOW - President Vladimir V. Putin and his likely successor called yesterday for sweeping environmental improvements, saying that cleaning up Soviet-era pollution and reducing industrial waste were crucial for Russia's economy and public health.
MOSCOW - President Vladimir V. Putin and his likely successor called yesterday for sweeping environmental improvements, saying that cleaning up Soviet-era pollution and reducing industrial waste were crucial for Russia's economy and public health.
The abrupt focus on a profound problem that has gotten little Kremlin attention adds to an ambitious agenda being set by Putin and his protégé Dmitry Medvedev, who are expected to govern Russia as a team after Putin's term ends in May.
At the Kremlin meeting of Putin's Security Council, both said Russia's remarkable economic boom was coming at the expense of the environment, saying the nation would not be competitive without a cleanup.
"Working to protect nature must become the systematic, daily duty of state authorities at all levels," Putin said. He said the government and industrial enterprises must ensure that "in the future, Russia's economic growth is based on high ecological standards."
Speaking after Putin in a small portion of the meeting open to reporters, Medvedev said penalties for polluters must be stiffened and new legislation aimed at encouraging environmental protection should be introduced this year.
"In the coming years, the quality of the environment will become one of the key factors in the competitiveness of the country," he said.
Putin last month named Medvedev as his favored successor in the March 2 presidential election. Medvedev promised to make Putin prime minister if he wins, a near-certainty given his popularity and the Kremlin's control over politics.
Medvedev has stressed continuity, vowing to pursue Putin's policies. But both men have suggested they would move to tackle problems that have continued to hobble Russia amid the oil-fueled economic improvements of Putin's eight years in office.
Medvedev called last week for a crackdown on corruption, which some observers say has worsened under Putin despite repeated vows to uproot it. Yesterday, he said environmental legislation was inadequate and punishments too soft.