Sessions of Parliament

Approved Laws

• Law no. 247 entitled the government to the right of legislation in the field of customs for five years, starting from December 14, 2011, the date of expiry of the previous law issued in 2009 and granting the government the same right. Parliament has been accustomed to issuing such laws since 1992, which means that the law has nothing new and is only an extension of preceding legislation.
• Law no. 248 exempted the profits of industrial exports of Lebanese origin from 50% of the tax due, in a bid to support and subsidize Lebanese industrial exports and to promote Lebanon’s industry as a whole.
• Law no. 249 set up a syndicate for midwives. The law stipulated the formation of a mandatory syndicate that consists of the midwives licensed by the Ministry of Public Health to practice midwifery in Lebanese territories. The law specified the role of the syndicate as having a scientific, health and administrative role aiming to bring together all licensed midwives and to protect their legitimate interests and moral and material rights as well as enhancing the profession and ensuring its ethics and dignity towards the provision of the best services possible to pregnant women. Membership of the syndicate is compulsory in the sense that no midwife will be able to practice her profession in Lebanese territories unless her name is registered on the syndicate’s roll. In terms of mandatory membership, the syndicate thus resembles Lebanon’s large syndicates such as the Order of Engineers, the Bar Association and the Order of Physicians.
• Law no. 250- Amendment of Law no. 479/2002 concerned with the establishment of a mandatory syndicate for registered male and female nurses in Lebanon. The Law amended a number of the articles stipulated under the syndicate formation law, particularly those related to the dates of the General Assembly meetings and the mechanism of electing the members.
• Law no. 251 assigned full-time attorneys-general and investigating judges to attend to environment affairs. This law aims to protect the environment and to enforce the laws against violators. A full-time environmental attorney-general – or many – will be appointed and entrusted by the public prosecutor to pursue environmental crimes, file charges and identify the offenders by name. The Law has also determined the offences that would be classified as environmental crimes (the violation of the rules and regulations related to quarries and to the protection of forest wealth and natural reserves as well as the violation of the laws concerned with the disposal of all kinds of waste and the laws on the preservation of antiquities and of the cultural and historical heritage) and stipulated the establishment of an environmental police force in each Mohafaza having the same capacity as the justice police as far as environmental crimes are concerned. The environmental police shall fall under the supervision of the environmental attorney-general.
• Law no. 252 authorized the government to sign a loan agreement between the Republic of Lebanon and the Kuwaiti Fund for Arab Economic Development in order to carry out sanitation projects in Marjeyoun, Al Khiyam and Chaqra. The loan, which amounts to KWD 13.5 million (roughly USD 48 million) with an annual interest rate of 2.5% on all unpaid withdrawals, will be repaid over 40 semi-annual installments, after a five-year grace period from the date of the first withdrawal.
• The loan aims to finance the installation of two sewerage networks in the towns of Marjeyoun, Al Khiyam and Chaqra. The first will be 140 kilometers long and five stations will be constructed to collect sewage and waste water from seven towns (Marjeyoun, Al Khiyam, Blat, Ebl As-Saqi, Al-Qlaya’a, Debbine and Burj Al-Moulouk) and connect them to a treatment plant with a capacity of nearly 2500 m3 per day. The second network will be 110 kilometers long and will discharge the waste water collected and transferred from six towns (Chaqra, Hawla, Kounine, Al Tayri, Beit Bahoun and part of Braashite) into a treatment plant with a daily capacity of 4500 m3.
• Law no. 253 authorized the Lebanese government to approve the funding of the Mediterranean Cross-Border Cooperation Programme with the European Union, across several sectors. The budget ranges between 2 million and 5 million Euros (and the text of this protocol stretches to 104 pages).
• Law no. 254 approved accession to the protocol concerning cooperation in preventing pollution from ships and, in cases of emergency, combating pollution of the Mediterranean Sea. Thirteen Mediterranean countries have approved this protocol.
• Law no. 255 approved the signing of an additional financing agreement for the Cultural Heritage and Urban Development Project between the Lebanese Republic and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. This agreement was first signed on August 9, 2012 to provide extra funds worth USD 27 million. Lebanon pays costs and interest rates amounting to 3% and should have repaid the entire loan, the interest excluded, by July 15, 2023. The project aims at helping Lebanon find the convenient conditions to enhance local economic development and quality of life in the historic city centers of Baalbeck, Byblos, Saida, Tripoli and Tyre.
• Law no. 256 subjected full-time employees at the Civil Servants Cooperative to the pension system like their counterparts in other public administrations. The CSC is a public institution that cares for employees of public administrations and it seemed only logical to treat its employees as equals to the rest of the employees they serve. The approval of this law has been a long-standing demand by the cooperative’s full-time staff.
• Law no 257 approved the establishment of the Cedars of Jaj Reserve, which comes as a sequel to a slew of previous laws that stipulated the establishment of nature reserves in a number of Lebanese regions.
• Law no.258 approved an agreement between the Lebanese government (Council for Development and Reconstruction) and the Islamic Development Bank to finance the second phase of the Western Beqa’a sanitation project. The agreement is worth USD 26.840 million and is a continuation of the first phase, which was also funded by the Islamic Development Bank. The project involves the construction of sewage lines of 70,027 meters in length, using different pipes, installations and pumping stations.
• Law no.259 approved an agreement between the Lebanese government (Council for Development and Reconstruction) and the Islamic Development Bank to finance the second phase of the Western Beqa’a sanitation project at USD 26.840 million.
• Law no. 260 approved a loan agreement between the Republic of Lebanon and the French Agency for Development (AFD) to carry out the project of collecting and treating wastewater in the Qada’a of Kessrouan. The loan value is 150 million Euros (roughly USD 207 million) with a six month Euribor interest rate (interest rate at which banks lend one another funds denominated in Euros) not exceeding 6.34% per year in addition to a commission of 0.5%. The loan is to be repaid in installments, the last of which should be on July 31, 2032.
• Law no. 261 amended Article 99 of Law no. 75/99 on the Protection of Literary and Artistic Property. The new provisions require the owner, producer or publisher of any book or publication to send six free copies of the piece in question to the Ministry of Culture. The Ministry shall deposit one copy at the Library of Parliament.
• Law no. 262 amended the prerequisites for appointment to a number of posts at the VAT directorate issued in 2005. To qualify for the position of Head of the Department of Legislation and Tax Policies, the applicant must, according to the new law, be a holder of a university degree in either law or economics or accounting or business or finance with no less than six years of experience and proven proficiency in Arabic as well as in English or French.
• Law no. 263 approved the reconstruction of the buildings destroyed during the 2006 Israeli invasion of Lebanon. The law authorized the reconstruction of the buildings affected partially or wholly, with the exception of the parts targeted in demarcation or those encroaching upon private or public property. If the violation had occurred prior to 1994, the structures violating the law may be reconstructed only after payment of all the incurred fees and fines. The reconstruction process will be exempt from all the fees, fines and stamp duties dictated by the law, including construction fees and the fees of both Orders of Engineers.
• Law no. 264 extended the provisions of Law no. 402/95 related to excluding hotels from certain provisions under the Construction Code issued in 2004. The amendment prescribed that the construction works should be initiated within one year maximum from the date of issuance of the construction permit. It added that the works should be completed and the Housing Institute permit obtained within six years maximum from the same date.
• Law no. 265 amended some provisions of the Consumer Protection Law no. 59/2005. The objective of the amendment was to promote food safety and to impose conditions on the methods and techniques of advertising and promotion in order to ensure further protection of consumers. It also proposed tightening the sanctions against fraudulent operations. For example, if the fraud resulted in the spread of an epidemic or the death of a person, the person committing the fraud shall be sentenced to temporary hard-labor from 5 to 15 years and fined an amount ranging between LBP 500 million and LBP 1 billion.
• Law no. 266 amended Article 38 of the Staff Regulations issued in 1959 extending the maternity leave to 10 weeks fully paid with immediate effect.
• Law no. 267 amended Articles 28 and 29 of the Labor Law dated September 13, 1946 and its amendments, raising the maternity leave to 10 weeks.
• Law no. 268 amended the agreement signed in 2001 with the Islamic Development Bank regarding the Reconstruction of South Lebanon and Other Regions Affected by the Israeli Occupation, raising its value from USD 100 million to USD 108.3 million. The increase is assigned to the construction of sewerage networks and wastewater treatment plants in the Western Beqa’a.
• Law no. 269 amended some provisions under the Social Security Law, granting exemption from the penalties incurred due to delays or violations and allowing the payment of debts to the order of the National Social Security Fund by installments. According to the law, the NSSF shall accept, within 12 months from the entry of this law into effect, the payment of the outstanding subscription dues owed by the state and other subscribers to the Fund up till December 31, 2013 by installments, provided that a down payment equal to 5% of the debt is paid up front. An annual interest of 5% shall also be imposed on the installment payments and the installment period shall differ depending on the size of the debt, fluctuating between 36 months (if the debt is below LBP 60 million) and 120 months (if the debt totals LBP 1.2 billion and above).
• Law no. 270 amended Article 3 of Law no. 273/2001 (Mukhtar’s stamp duty), assigning the Cooperative Fund for Mukhtars new revenues yielded from a revenue stamp of LBP 1000 to be impressed by the Mukhtars upon all the transactions, attestations and documents they authenticate. Among other revenues are the contributions of the state through the Ministry of the Interior and Municipalities and the grants and donations channeled to the Fund.
• Law no. 271 amended Article 3 of Law no. 313/2001, which is concerned with the establishment of two Orders of Physicians in Lebanon, prescribing a medical specialty degree obtained in no fewer than three years and membership in one of the two Orders of Physicians as requirements for the practice of medicine. Those licensed to practice medicine who do not have a medical specialty degree shall practice medicine in the capacity of non-specialized practitioners.
• Law no. 272 stipulated the establishment of a Council for Notaries Public in Lebanon. The law aims to set up a council comprising all active notaries public. Those who wish to join the council from among the retired notaries may also join the council, which shall work on regulating the affairs of Lebanon’s notaries public and improving the prospects of the profession.
• Law no. 273 added a paragraph to the Income Tax Law issued in 1959 whereby it allowed, exceptionally, the companies and organizations damaged during Israel’s attacks on Lebanon between July 12 and August 14, 2006 to defer the losses they incurred in each of 2003 and 2004 for an additional year and those sustained in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 for seven years.
• Law no. 274 amended some of the provisions under the Pharmacy Practice Act dated 1994. The law provided that the committee responsible for approving medications must decide on every submitted application within three months or else it must justify the rejection. It also allowed hospitals classified as ‘university hospitals’ pursuant to decisions issued by the Minister of Public Health, to import the medications unavailable in the local market and which they need for the purposes of research and education.
• Law no. 275 added a new paragraph to the fees for transferring movable and immovable rights and property. The new paragraph exempted the rights and property devolved from the Lebanese Army and the Security Forces martyrs from charges, had the charges not been already fulfilled by the time this law entered into force.
• Law no. 276 reduced the penalties incurred as a result of unpaid construction violation arrears by 90%, provided that the defaulters pay their dues prior to September 30, 2014.
• Law no. 277 reduced the penalties incurred as a result of unpaid municipal fee arrears by 90%, provided that the defaulters pay their dues prior to September 30, 2014.
• Law no. 278 amended a number of provisions under the new Traffic Act issued in 2012. The amendments were made in light of the remarks noted in the wake of the Traffic Act.
• Law no. 279 reduced the penalties imposed on the persons liable for fees by 90%. Pursuant to this law, the penalties incurred as a result of unpaid car inspection fees, traffic fees and collection orders issued by public administrations and institutions were cut down by 90%, provided that the defaulters pay their dues prior to September 30, 2014.
• Law no. 280 granted financial incentives to the municipalities surrounding the Naameh (Abay- Ain Drafeel) landfill and exempted them from certain dues and financial cuts. Pursuant to this law, every municipality/town that observes, within its boundaries, the construction of a sanitary landfill or a waste treatment plan, as well as every affected neighboring municipality, shall benefit from a larger share of the Independent Municipal Fund. The 13 municipalities surrounding the Abay – Ain Drafeel landfill (13 municipalities) shall be accorded financial incentives worth USD 5 million.
• Law 281 amended Article 20 of Law no. 515 issued on June 6, 1996 and aimed to regulate school budgets and lay down the basics for charging tuition fees in private schools and other miscellaneous provisions and extended it starting from the academic year 2011-2012.
• Law no. 282 authorized the government to sign a loan agreement worth 21 million Euros (roughly USD 29 million) with the French Agency for Development to carry out the Cultural Heritage and Urban Development Programme in Tyre and Tripoli, provided that the interest rate does not exceed 5.98% annually.
• Law no. 283 approved a USD 16 million agreement between the Lebanese government and the Islamic Development Bank to finance the expansion and rehabilitation of the road linking between Hadath Jebbeh and Bqerqasha in the Qada’a of Bsharri. The road to be expanded is 10.2 km long.
• Law no. 284 approved a USD 16 million agreement between the Lebanese government and the Islamic Development Bank to finance the expansion and rehabilitation of the road linking Hadath Jebbeh and Bqerqasha in the Qada’a of Bsharri.
• Law no. 285 on the general provisions of higher education and the regulation of private higher education as well as the determination of degrees and curricula and the establishment and functions of the bodies responsible for ensuring higher education, particularly the Higher Education Council. The Law also covers the requirements for employment on a full-time or contract basis, the basics of managing higher education institutions and student rights.
• Law no. 286 amended the first item of Article 186 under the Penal Code issued pursuant to Legislative Decree no. 340 dated March 1, 1943. It identified the types of non-violent discipline practiced by fathers and mothers on their children and approved this kind of discipline provided that it does not cause any harm to the physical or mental health of the child.
• Law no. 287 authorized Electricité Du Liban, within one year from the entry of this law into effect, to fill its personnel vacancies for technical and administrative posts needed in all directorates based on an examination performed by the Civil Service Council. Participation shall be limited to on-demand workers and collectors and applicants shall be under 56 years of age at the time of the examination. Those over the age of 56 shall be given a remuneration equivalent to a two-month salary for each year of service.
• Law no. 288 added a paragraph to the seventh article of Law no. 462 dated September 2, 2002 (Regulation of the Electricity Sector) authorizing the Cabinet, upon the proposition of the Minister of energy and Water and the Minister of Finance, to grant electricity production permits on a two-year temporary basis until the formation of the Committee’s Council.
• Law no. 289 amended articles of Legislative Decree no. 50/67 dated August 5, 1967 (Civil Defense Regulation), approving the reorganization of the Civil Defense and the determination of staff.
• Law issued on May 8, 2014 (Rent Act) remained un-numbered because it lacked the signature of the President of the Republic. According to Article 56 of the Constitution, the President of the Republic shall sign the laws that have received definitive approval within one month of their referral to the Cabinet. Pursuant to Article 57, if the one-month period has expired without issuing the law or sending it back to Parliament, it shall be considered effective. The new Rent Act has triggered and might continue to trigger several crises and lawsuits, for it stipulates a gradual major increase in the rent agreements signed prior to July 23, 1992 in preparation for the liberation of all contracts after 9 years, without compensating the tenants.
• Law no. 290 stipulated full-time employment of notaries public based on the results of a restricted examination.
• Law no. 291 authorized the Lebanese University to hold a restricted examination to fill the vacancies within its staff.
• Law no. 292 appointed the successful candidates in the Civil Service Council examination to the posts of Chief Tax Controller, Verification Controller and Chief Accountant at the Directorate General of the Ministry of Finance
• Law no. 293 on the Protection of Women and All Family Members from Domestic Violence. The law had drawn dissenting opinions from the public and civil society and the amendments introduced to it were rejected by woman associations on the grounds that the state yielded to the will of religious authorities.