Need a control mechanism when the Vietnam Oil and Gas Group plays 2 “roles” at the same time

Continuing the program of the 3rd session, the 15th National Assembly, Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien presented the proposal of the Petroleum Law (amended).

Presenting the Petroleum Law Project Report (amended), Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien said that the current Petroleum Law and legal documents detail and guide the implementation of the Petroleum Law. Over the years, it has created favorable conditions for the development of the oil and gas industry in the field of oil and gas prospection, exploration and production, making great contributions to the state budget revenue and the country’s socio-economic development. , contributing to ensuring national energy security and protecting Vietnam’s sovereignty in the East Sea.

However, over the past time, oil and gas activities have also arisen a number of problems and inadequacies, focusing on issues such as: A number of practical problems arise that are specific to oil and gas activities but have not been regulated yet. specified by the Petroleum Law and legal documents under the Law or regulations that are not suitable with reality have changed; Some issues are regulated in the Petroleum Law but not in sync with other legal provisions; A number of issues are being regulated in the documents under the Law that need to be specified in the Petroleum Law in order to improve the enforcement effect and ensure the uniformity and compatibility with other relevant Laws.

Thus, based on management practice, law enforcement practice and current situation, the formulation of the Petroleum Law (amended) to replace the Law on Petroleum in 1993, 2000, in 2008 is absolutely necessary, in order to increase efficiency and effectiveness in state management, remove barriers, create a favorable legal corridor for investors, and contribute to improving the attractiveness of the investment environment in Vietnam. Petroleum sector.

According to the Minister of Industry and Trade, the development of the Petroleum Law (amended) project must meet the requirements of putting the interests of the nation and nation first, first of all, associated with building an independent economy. autonomy, ensuring macroeconomic stability, major balances of the economy, especially in terms of energy; effectively protect and exploit natural resources and national sovereignty, including legal sovereignty, build an integrated institution, affirm Vietnam’s position as a responsible country to the international community; strengthen state management capacity, promote decentralization, avoid partial interests of ministries and branches. The purpose and viewpoints of developing the Petroleum Law (amended) have been defined and detailed in Report No. 159/TTr-CP.

Need a control mechanism when PVN plays 2 “roles” at the same time

Commenting on the draft Oil and Gas Law, delegate Phan Duc Hieu (Thai Binh delegation) said that one of the goals of amending the Petroleum Law this time is to increase investment attraction (attract investment projects). new capital).

The Draft Oil and Gas Law (amended) has been well designed when it comes to defining the usual incentive mechanism, and also has a special incentive mechanism for important projects depending on our wishes. This design is appropriate, but delegate Phan Duc Hieu suggested that further consultation is needed because it is currently applied in the direction that if the normal mechanism cannot be achieved, then the special mechanism will be applied, which will prolong the application time. use.

“It is recommended to apply these two incentive mechanisms in parallel, because our goal is to attract investment. Studying more world experience when applying special incentive mechanisms is flexible to apply for each projects, each investor’s specific needs, to both harmonize interests and attract investors,” said delegate Phan Duc Hieu.

Regarding regulations on the roles and responsibilities of PVN, delegate Phan Duc Hieu said that the draft regulation is in the direction of choosing a model corresponding to a number of countries in the region, that is, the national petroleum agency. (PVN) plays two roles, which are enterprises and state management agencies.

“I also wish that the drafting agency should explain and carefully evaluate the benefits and costs of model selection. In addition, there should be a control mechanism to avoid conflicts of interest,” Mr. Hieu said. .

There is no reason not to use financial support packages to control gasoline prices

Commenting at the group on the Draft Petroleum Law (amended), delegate Tran Hoang Ngan (Ho Chi Minh City delegation) further noted that it is necessary to create a specific policy mechanism for the oil and gas industry.

Citing examples from other countries in the world, Ngan said that currently, oil-producing countries have many supporting mechanisms and policies. For example, Malaysia, this country has a lot of supportive policies and Malaysia’s petrol price is currently very low compared to the price in Vietnam. Russia, Ukraine, Brazil, China… also have supportive policies for oil and gas exploitation.

Worth mentioning, the countries that can exploit oil, the people must enjoy the rights in this exploitation and use those rights when necessary. Therefore, according to Ngan delegate, in the current conditions, there is no reason not to use financial support solutions more quickly to control gasoline prices.

“The Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Finance are requested to submit to the Government to submit to the National Assembly Standing Committee to continue reducing the environmental protection tax on petrol and oil by 50%, while the laws on special consumption tax and value-added tax increase … must follow the order through the National Assembly, it may not be timely, but it is very necessary and urgent to reduce the environmental protection tax immediately to support people and businesses,” said delegate Tran Hoang. Ngan suggested.