2018

Monitoring the Implementation of National Projects

Achieving the goals of the national projects, outlined in the May decree of the President of Russia, became the central socio-political task of the country.

The Civic Chamber, together with the civic chambers of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, engaged in monitoring the implementation of the projects, helping civil society articulate its interests and transform them into concrete proposals for the authorities.

150,000 Observers at the Russian Presidential Election

In 2018, the Civic Chamber gained the authority to deploy independent public observers to polling stations to monitor the voting process.

A large-scale training program was undertaken across the country to train observers, including seminars, round tables, and practical training sessions.

The "Golden Standard of Public Observation" was developed—a simple questionnaire that enabled an observer to monitor the key parameters of the voting process at a polling station: before opening, during voting, and during the vote count.

In total, over 150,000 public observers were trained and deployed to polling stations. All-Russian public organizations, regional and municipal NPOs collaborated with the Civic Chamber of Russia and regional chambers on recruiting and training observers under relevant agreements. Similar agreements were signed by the Civic Chamber with political parties.

Public observation during the 2018 presidential election became the first large-scale experience of civil society’s participation in monitoring electoral procedures.

Pension Age Increase: Civic Chamber’s Proposals Taken into Account!

The 2018 pension reform sparked widespread public debate. The Civic Chamber engaged in the discussion by organizing a platform for experts, NPOs, trade unions, and regional chambers.

The result was a list of 27 substantive questions and proposals to the Government of Russia, covering age discrimination in employment, the state of regional labor markets, opportunities for retraining, the role of labor migrants, support for families with children, youth unemployment, and other socio-economic aspects. The public address by the President of Russia in August 2018 and subsequent changes to pension legislation demonstrated the importance of the proposals developed during the discussions at the Civic Chamber. The pension reform became an indicator of how institutionalized public discussion can significantly influence state policy in addressing socially significant issues.

Towards People with Disabilities

In the autumn of 2017, a hotline for issues related to medical and social assessment began operating at the Civic Chamber.

Over three months, about a thousand inquiries from citizens with disabilities were registered. Complaints concerned denials of disability status, excessive formalism, and bureaucratic hurdles.

The Civic Chamber initiated a discussion of the problem at the federal level, involving relevant ministries, human rights, and medical organizations. As a result, a Resolution of the Government of Russia was adopted, simplifying the procedure for establishing disability and reassessment. For many citizens, the need for annual reassessments was eliminated, reducing administrative pressure and emotional strain.

Civic Chamber and the "Waste Reform"

2018 was marked by the development of a large-scale reform for managing solid municipal waste. The Civic Chamber engaged in the process at the peak of public concern. Together with the All-Russian People’s Front and the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights Development, measures for processing municipal solid waste (MSW) were analyzed, and proposals for considering public opinion when constructing waste processing facilities were formulated.

Over eight thousand citizen inquiries were received on the Civic Chamber’s hotline. Citizens complained about non-transparent decisions, environmental risks, and the construction of landfills without considering the opinion of local communities. These inquiries were discussed at "Community" forums, round tables, and meetings of public councils under regional government bodies.

The Civic Chamber formulated and submitted proposals to the authorities regarding ensuring the harmonization of citizens’ interests when changing the rules for MSW management. One of the key ideas was the creation of a specialized Public Legal Company (PLC) for managing municipal waste. This proposal from the Civic Chamber was soon implemented.

Legalization of Self-Employed Individuals

2018 became the starting point for legalizing self-employed individuals in Russia.

Millions of citizens—tutors, nannies, designers, freelancers—worked outside the legal framework, without being registered as individual entrepreneurs and. Therefore. not paying taxes. At the same time, they did not conceal their activities, but the existing legislation provided no mechanisms for their legalization.

The Civic Chamber served as the key platform for an open dialog on this issue. On April 6 and June 14, 2018, "zero readings" were held for two alternative draft laws from the Russian Ministry of Finance and the Russian Ministry of Justice. During the discussions, civil society representatives noted the absence of a unified understanding and interpretation of a term analogous to "self-employed" in legislation, which hindered the development of effective state policy. The main emphasis was placed not on formal definitions but on creating conditions for people to voluntarily exit the shadow economy. The Civic Chamber insisted that the tax system for the self-employed must be simple, accessible, convenient, and safe to incentivize the legalization of their activities.

On November 27, 2018, Federal Law No. 422-FZ was adopted, establishing the legal basis for conducting an experiment on introducing the special tax regime "Tax on Professional Income."

The experiment began in Moscow, Moscow Oblast, Kaluga Oblast, and Tatarstan, paving the way for the legalization of millions of self-employed citizens.

Mapping Barriers for SO NPOs in the Social Services Market

At the "Community" forum platforms, the Civic Chamber’s Commission on the Development of the nonprofit Sector regularly held events aimed at removing barriers for SO NPOs wishing to provide social services.

The main problem was distrust and doubts about the reliability of NPOs among officials responsible for organizing social assistance. It is fair to note that such distrust was sometimes justified.

The task of the Civic Chamber was to bridge the positions of the authorities and the nonprofit sector, creating conditions that expand the opportunities for SO NPOs to participate in providing social services and make them more competitive.