The State Duma discussed the possibility of introducing a transition period for the FGIS LC system

On January 22, a meeting of the Committee on Ecology, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection was held in the State Duma. The Russian Timber Association was represented by its First Vice President and Chairman of the OPORA RUSSIA Commission on the Forest Complex Andrei Goncharov.

The meeting discussed proposals to introduce a transition period until the end of March 2025 in order to exclude the imposition of fines on entrepreneurs who have encountered problems due to system failures or delays in the delivery of GLONASS equipment.

Dmitry Kobylkin, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Ecology, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection: The Forest Complex system must contain information on the movement of vehicles transporting timber. This standard was adopted in 2021, four years ago. During this time, companies had to equip their equipment with GLONASS equipment. Failure to comply with this requirement from the moment the information system was launched, i.e. from January 1 of this year, will result in fines: from 20 to 49 thousand rubles for officials; from 200 to 400 thousand rubles for legal entities. According to available information, only a quarter of all timber trucks (about 50 thousand vehicles) have connected to the GLONASS system."

Andrey Goncharov, First Vice President of the Russian Timber Association and Chairman of the OPORA RUSSIA Commission for the Forestry Complex: "Conscientious entrepreneurs who have encountered the problem of incorrect operation of the FGIS LC should not be subject to fines. Following the meeting of the Committee, an agreement was reached on the formation of a list of problematic issues related to the functioning of the FGIS LK, which will be sent to the Federal Forestry Agency, the State Duma and the Federation Council for decision-making. We will continue to constructively contribute to the refinement of the FGIS LK system, as well as the relevant regulations, in order to make it as convenient as possible for forest users."

Recommendations based on the results of the meeting will be sent to federal authorities for further consideration. The Committee also recommended that the responsible authorities take into account regional specifics, proposals and initiatives expressed.