Ensuring Business-Friendly Conditions: Uzbekistan Aims To Enhance Its Position In The 'Doing Business Report'

Uzbekistan continues to undertake measures to improve its business environment and promote the country's positive image in the international arena. On February 5, 2019, the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, signed Resolution PP-4160 "On Additional Measures to Improve the Ranking of Uzbekistan in the Annual 'Doing Business' Report of the World Bank and International Finance Corporation."

According to the Resolution, Uzbekistan plans to increase its overall ranking from the latest 76th position to 66th by 2020, 33rd by 2021 and 20th by 2022. The Resolution provides for reforms with regard to a number of indicators of the "Doing Business" ranking and approves the "Roadmap" and Benchmarks for improving the country's position in the report.

Key reforms addressing seven indicators:

Starting a business. Current ranking - 12.

From March 1, 2019:

Enabling banks to open bank accounts remotely for legal entities, if their founders are residents of Uzbekistan, and for individual entrepreneurs during their state registration, provided that necessary conditions exist for identifying applicants remotely, as required by the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF). By 2022, the country plans to reduce time for starting a business from the current four days to one day.

Dealing with construction permits.

Current ranking - 134.

From March 1, 2019: 

Cancellation of the procedure for determining the exclusive designated purpose of land plots when they go through the auction on the electronic trading platform "E-IJRO AUKSION" with an obligatory reference to an exhaustive list of types of objects, construction of which is prohibited or permitted on a specific land plot;

Abolition of the procedure for obtaining a permit for building and installation works with the introduction of a mechanism for the notification of their commencement.

By 2022, Uzbekistan plans to reduce the number of procedures from 17 to 15 and the amount of days required for getting all construction permits from 246 to 120.

Getting electricity. Current ranking - 35.

From March 1, 2019:

Application of economic sanctions for unauthorized disconnection of consumers from the energy supply. By 2022, the country plans to reduce time for getting electricity from the current 88 to 33 days.

Registering property. Current ranking - 71. From March 1, 2019:

Application of the principle of extraterritoriality with regard to state registration of immovable property rights and...