The President of the Republic, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and Minister of National Defense, Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune, chaired, today, Sunday, a meeting of the Council of Ministers devoted to a joint presentation between the agriculture and trade sectors, in addition to examining draft laws related to several sectors, according to a cabinet statement.
The full text of the statement is as follows:
“The President of the Republic, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and Minister of National Defense, Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune, chaired, today, Sunday, March 13, 2022, a meeting of the Council of Ministers devoted to a joint presentation between the agriculture and trade sectors on the availability of strategic materials, and production forecasts for essential agricultural materials, in addition to examining Draft laws related to investment promotion, civil and administrative procedures, marine fishing and aquaculture.
The President of the Republic began the meeting by thanking the Secretary-General and the Ministerial Council of the Arab League for accepting Algeria’s proposal to hold the 31st Arab Summit in Algeria on November 1st, the symbolic date of the outbreak of the glorious Algerian revolution, and the support by the Arab nation.
After listening to the presentation of the Prime Minister, on the outcome of the government’s activity in the last two weeks, then the periodic report of the mediator of the Republic, on the progress of the outstanding investment projects, during the last two weeks which included:
- The Lifting of restrictions on 109 additional investment projects.
- The entry of 66 other projects into operation.
- The entry of 491 investment projects into service, compared to the figure presented during the last cabinet meeting, amounting to 431 projects.
- The creation of 2420 additional jobs, during the last two weeks only, which means the creation of 30,133 actual jobs since the beginning of the lifting of restrictions, to reach 48,553 actual jobs soon.
After that, the President of the Republic issued the following orders, directives and instructions:
– The President highly commended the achieved results and the efforts deployed on the ground, by the mediator of the Republic and the government, especially in the industrial sector, to give a new impetus to outstanding investment projects.
– He emphasized drawing the lesson from the bureaucratic practices that prevented the implementation of projects and continuing to fight them in the future by redressing all the loopholes so that they do not recur and document this in the new investment law.
Regarding the draft law on Investment Promotion:
The President ordered the government to sufficiently enrich the debate, by reissuing a new law from its foundation to promote investment, based on:
- Enshrining the principle of freedom of investment and initiative.
- The stability of the legislative framework for investment for a period of no less than ten years.
- Simplifying procedures and reducing the area of discretion authority of the Admiration in the processing of investment files, especially those relying on self-financing.
- Enhancing the powers of the Single Window, in handling investment files, within specific deadlines.
- Limitation of tax concessions and incentives to directing and supporting investment in some sectors or regions to which the state attaches special attention in comparison to others .
- Adopting a pragmatic approach in dealing with foreign direct investments that takes into account attracting investments that guarantees technology transfer and job creation.
Regarding the draft amendment to the Civil and Administrative Procedures Law:
The President of the Republic expressed his satisfaction with the amendments included in the proposed draft law, as they reflect the gains included in the 2020 Constitution.
– The President ordered that the draft law includes a procedure that recognizes the settlement of commercial disputes, only before the commercial courts, and not others.
Regarding the draft amendment to the law on marine fishing and aquaculture:
- Accepting the draft amendment in its part related to the establishment of professional cooperatives for actors in the field of marine fishing, to enable them to organize their activities and improve their economic and social conditions.
- Entrusting the government with preparing a draft directive law to promote marine fishing, with particular emphasis on:
- The need to protect and support marine fishing and aquaculture activities.
- Granting the necessary privileges and incentives to encourage small professions related to marine fishing activity.
- Addressing the problematic of managing fishing ports and protecting their sites, by keeping them affiliated with the marine fishing sector, excluding the owners of recreational and leisure boats, stressing the need to provide the necessary logistical services to support those who work in this field.
- Reunification of the branches of the National Algerian Navigation Company (CNAN) as a symbol of national sovereignty, and directing them to strengthen the national maritime fleet, by acquiring new ships for commercial transport.
Regarding the joint presentation of the Ministers of Agriculture and Trade:
– The President of the Republic has ordered banning the export of all consumer products that Algeria imports, such as sugar, pasta, oil, semolina, and all wheat derivatives, instructing the Minister of Justice to prepare a draft law criminalizing the export of materials, not produced locally, as an act of sabotage to the national economy.
– A total ban to import frozen meat and encouraging the consumption of locally produced meat.
– Encouraging the farmers who supply the state’s strategic stock of hard and soft wheat, and dry grains, through various incentives, including loans, fertilizers and other benefits.
Before concluding the session, the Council of Ministers approved individual presidential decrees related to the termination of duties in senior positions in the state.
