Construction under foreign projects is allowed in Belarus

In early January the Edict of the President No. 26 dated January 14, 2014 “On measures to improve construction activities” was amended by the Edict No. 9 dated January 17, 2023. In accordance with the document, from January 19, 2023 during the construction of buildings and structures it is allowed to use project design documentation developed in accordance with foreign construction and technical standards and passed an examination in accordance with the legislation of the country, according to the standards of which the object was designed.

Until now such opportunity (designing according to foreign norms and rules without adaptation and examination of foreign project design documentation in Belarus) was provided on an individual basis to particular investors and caused a lot of discussions among construction experts. Concerns were caused primarily by the fact that the construction requirements for buildings and structures largely depend on the climatic and geographical features of the country where the construction takes place. It is obvious that the snow and wind loads in Norway or Iceland is not identical to the corresponding loads in Ecuador, as well as the seismic hazard of the Philippines and, for example, Switzerland, which affects the respective requirements for the stability of buildings, are significantly different. Accordingly, it raises the question of at least to check the compliance of foreign project design documentation with the basic safety requirements for Belarusian buildings and structures.

Most likely in the near future the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus will develop an appropriate procedure that will give the answers, in particular, how exactly foreign projects may be applied in Belarus, whether they will need local adaptation, and in what form foreign expertise of projects will be accepted.