One in four permits has been removed from the system — Minister of Economy

In Kyrgyzstan, one in four regulatory permits has been removed from the government’s regulatory framework. This was announced by Minister of Economy and Commerce Bakyt Sydykov during a closed-door interagency meeting on reducing bureaucracy in the business sector, attended by representatives of the World Bank and business associations.

According to the minister, during a large-scale review, the government examined 905 regulatory documents in effect in the country. The analysis revealed that 240 of them were no longer relevant and served no practical purpose.

“In fact, one in four documents turned out to be redundant, outdated, or unjustified,” stated Bakyt Sydykov.

The minister noted that some of the licensing requirements existed only formally and were not actually enforced by government agencies. Some documents were retained “out of habit,” without any real necessity for the economy or security.

As a result of the reform, the number of permits was reduced from 905 to 495. Thus, the system has been streamlined by nearly half—45.3%.

In addition to eliminating documents, the authorities also consolidated 170 permitting procedures, removing duplicative and redundant regulations.

According to the Minister of Economy, the reform targeted the most overregulated sectors. Specifically:

• the level of regulation by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic was reduced by 72%;
• in the emergency response sector—by 65%.

Separately, the minister emphasized that debureaucratization has become part of a broader program to improve the business climate in the country.

Among further steps, he listed:

• the digitization of permitting procedures;
• shortening the time required to obtain documents;
• reducing the number of required certificates;
• reducing business interactions with government agencies.

Also, according to Sydykov, the state is shifting from a model of “total control” to risk-based regulation.

“Control is ceasing to be a tool of pressure and is becoming a tool for effective and balanced management,” the minister concluded.