The National Assembly discusses revisions to the Planning Law on Friday. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The National Assembly (NA)’s Economic and Financial Committee has called for revisions to the Planning Law to address immediate obstacles, unlock resources and promote socio-economic development, particularly in light of recent political and administrative restructuring.

The lawmakers heard a proposal and evaluation report on the draft law amending and supplementing several provisions of the Planning Law on Friday morning.

Presenting the draft, Finance Minister Nguyễn Văn Thắng said the proposed amendments aim to complete the legal framework on planning in line with Party and State guidelines for organisational reform, while promoting autonomy, decentralisation, innovation and accountability in State agencies.

The draft law granted decentralising authority to the Prime Minister for organising national marine spatial planning and national land use planning.

The NA will be in charge of deciding regional and national spatial planning.

The law empowers ministers and provincial chairpersons to approve priority project lists under national and provincial planning frameworks.

Presenting the assessment report, Chairman of the NA’s Economic and Financial Committee Phan Văn Mãi emphasised that planning-related issues are not limited to the Planning Law itself but also involve multiple overlapping legal frameworks.

The current amendment is seen as a temporary fix rather than a comprehensive solution, he said.

He stressed the need for the drafting committee to clarify the amendment's purpose and scope to ensure its feasibility. The focus should remain on resolving urgent issues and removing development bottlenecks, especially those related to reorganising the political apparatus and forming two-tier local governance models.

Some committee members expressed concern about decentralising the authority of the NA to the Government for national land and marine spatial planning, warning that it may lead to inconsistencies in the legal system.

They recommended further study and possible integration of these issues into the national master plan to uphold the NA’s constitutional oversight over critical national resources. — VNS