The State Duma Committee on the Development of the Far East and the Arctic, at a meeting on Wednesday, recommended the chamber adopt in first reading a draft basic law, which aims to create a legal and organisational framework for northern supply. This is reported by TASS.

The draft law was submitted to the Duma by the government in February. It is proposed that northern supply should be understood as a set of measures and financial mechanisms for the regular and uninterrupted supply to the territories belonging to the Far North as well as to equated areas with a limited period for the delivery of goods. The authors of the initiative propose to fix in the law the notions of 'territories of northern supply' and 'territories with a limited timeframe for the delivery of goods.'

It is established that the territories of the northern supply will include territories located within the borders of municipalities belonging to the Far North and equated areas with a limited period for the delivery of goods. The list of such territories will be approved by the Russian government on the basis of proposals by the highest regional officials.

It has been established that the single federal coordinator of the northern supply will be the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic. The term 'unified maritime operator of northern supply' will also be introduced—it will be a legal entity determined by the government, which will ensure regular transport of northern supply cargo between seaports.