The government resumed the program of assistance to backbone companies

The government is resuming the program to support backbone enterprises, which was in effect in the pandemic year of 2020. The corresponding decree was signed on March 6 by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin (published on pravo.gov.ru). It was added to the preamble to the rules for selecting organizations applying for state support measures that these measures are being taken not only in connection with the spread of a new coronavirus infection, but also in connection with “commission by foreign states of unfriendly actions and the imposition of economic sanctions against the Russian Federation, its citizens and Russian legal entities.

The main change in the program is the elimination of the need for enterprises to undergo an assessment of their financial stability (stress test) in order to receive state support. This item was excluded “to simplify access to state support,” the Ministry of Economic Development noted in the message. However, enterprises will still be required to undergo a “financial and economic analysis”. Applications for participation in the program will be submitted through the relevant ministries, depending on the sectoral affiliation of the enterprise, and will be verified by the interdepartmental commission of the Ministry of Economic Development.

In the anti-COVID version of the program, potential state support measures for backbone companies were divided into subsidies from the budget provided on a gratuitous and irrevocable basis, deferrals (installment plans) for taxes, and state guarantees for loans or bonded loans. In the new - "anti-sanction" - version, only subsidies and state guarantees remained. During the pandemic, accredited banks issued loans to systemically important enterprises at a reduced rate, which was subsidized by the government.

In the lists of backbone enterprises, which since April 2020 have been maintained by the relevant ministries in their industries, there were a total of more than 1,150 legal entities, including "subsidiaries" of foreign companies (for example, these are auto concerns, catering enterprises, retailers). Systemically important "daughters" of foreign corporations under the terms of the program could not qualify for state support measures (except in cases where a special decision could be made by the government commission to increase the sustainability of the development of the Russian economy). The lists of backbone companies were posted on the portal of the Ministry of Economic Development data.economy.gov.ru. The provided state support measures were included in the register, which contains proprietary information of limited distribution. RBC sent a request to the Ministry of Economic Development.