October 9, 2026
Finance Minister Yassine Jaber received, at the Ministry’s headquarters, a delegation from the European Union delegation to Lebanon headed by the Deputy Head of the Mission’s Cooperation Department, Cyril Dewalin, and the European Commission’s economist, Jimmy Bsoussi, along with a delegation from the “SIGMA” program of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The meeting was attended by the Director General of Finance, George Maarawi, and the two advisors, Zina Qassem and Claudine Karaki.
The meeting reviewed the developments of the “Sigma” project supporting the reform of public budget management, which was officially launched last month in the Grand Serail with European funding. The delegation presented the basic features of the budget management reform strategy under preparation, which is based on linking financial allocations to public policies and government priorities, in addition to reducing budget dispersion through a proposal requiring public institutions to include their budgets in the budget of the guardian ministry, to submit it as a unified document to the Ministry of Finance.
The discussions included adopting spending ceilings for ministries determined by the Ministry of Finance based on a medium-term financial framework, with each ministry responsible for distributing its financial ceiling internally according to its priorities. This approach will be applied gradually to six model ministries, in parallel with a training and support program for the Budget Directorate and concerned authorities.
The two sides stressed the importance of building on the existing cooperation experience with the “Sigma” program about two years ago, and overcoming previous obstacles, which mainly represented the lack of funding and capabilities necessary to keep up with and train the ministries, two elements that have become secure today thanks to European support and the need for supportive political guidance.
For his part, Minister Jaber expressed his full support for the reform process, stressing the necessity of adopting a gradual and realistic approach that takes into account administrative capabilities and the applicable legal framework, ensuring the achievement of tangible results in the near term and not being satisfied with long-term plans and studies.
Jaber proposed an initial practical step, which is for the model ministries to form internal work teams that include their directorates and affiliated institutions, to coordinate needs and unify budget requests early and within the current calendar and without the need for legislative amendments. He also requested consultation with these ministries and the Finance Directorate to determine the procedures that can be implemented immediately, stressing the importance of enhancing the accuracy of revenue estimation as a basic foundation for preparing a sound budget.
At the conclusion of the meeting, it was agreed that the working group would present a draft budget management reform strategy to the Minister of Finance next December, in preparation for discussing it and approving its implementation steps.
