The Economy, Trade, Industry and Planning Committee held a meeting today, chaired by MP Farid Al-Bustani and attended by the Minister of Economy, Amer Al-Bassat, and the committee’s MPs.
Representative Al-Bustani said after the meeting, saying: “Minister Al-Bassat presented the plan and vision of the Ministry of Economy for the future of Lebanon,” stressing that “the current launch of reforms comes “below zero,” with a focus on addressing the inflation that the citizen feels directly in consumer goods.”
Al-Bustani stated, “The committee decided to give itself a two-week period to study the plan and ask additional questions to the minister in the next session.” He pointed out that the meeting “focused on the principle of cooperation between authorities, encouraging digital transformation in the economic sector, and discussing the role of investment entities and investment projects,” stressing that any “investment in Lebanon must take place in a context of safety and stability. Topics such as economic attachés and the Competition Authority were also touched upon, with an emphasis that bureaucracy constitutes an obstacle to the progress of economic projects.”
For his part, Minister Al-Bassat explained that “his economic vision is optimistic,” noting “the possibility of raising the national product through reforms,” stressing that “inflation represents a major challenge, especially with the weakness of the dollar and its impact on the Lebanese pound.”
Al-Bassat stressed “the importance of consumer protection,” calling for “accelerating the issuance of a law that raises fines and strengthens market oversight capabilities, in addition to activating the Competition Council and appointing the Competition Commission to ensure a sound and transparent economic environment.”
