Parliament Productivity in 2015-One legislative session and 38 laws
شاهد الجدول كاملا
However, political and parliamentary deliberations resulted eventually in convening one legislative session under the ‘legislation of necessity’ imperative, in order to approve exigent draft laws of financial nature, particularly the loans obtained by Lebanon to finance a number of vital projects.
The legislative session’s outcome
The Lebanese Parliament held on November 12-13, 2015 a legislative session during which 38 bills were passed including the nationality recovery law, the food safety law, the law on purchasing equipment to the army, the anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism laws and laws authorizing the acquisition of loans to finance vital projects such as the Bisri dam project. The bills passed in Parliament were:
- Expedited Law no. 17: Approving the amendment of the funding agreement of the Mediterranean Cross-Border Cooperation Program with the European Union. The projects funded under this program are worth 220 million euros.
- Expedited Law no. 18: Increasing Lebanon’s contribution to the the Arab Authority for Agricultural Investment and Development by 40,000 Kuwaiti Dinars (roughly USD 140,000).
- Expedited Law no. 19: exceptional provisions regarding those students who applied for the official exams in 2014 when no exams were conducted.
- Expedited Law no. 20: Approving a loan agreement between the Republic of Lebanon and the World Bank in favor of the Ministry of Finance in order to complete the Public Financial Management Reform project at USD 5.2 million.
- Expedited Law no. 21: Approving a loan agreement between the Council for Development and Reconstruction and the Islamic Development Bank worth USD 72.5 million to finance the development of the Lebanese University.
- Expedited Law no. 22: For the same purpose as Law no. 21.
- Expedited Law no. 23: Approving a loan agreement between the Lebanese republic and the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development for the Karak-Riyaq road in Beqa’a at seven million Kuwaiti Dinars (USD 25 million).
- Expedited Law no. 24: Approving a loan agreement between the Lebanese republic and the World Bank for the Bisri Dam project worth USD 474 million.
- Expedited Law no. 25: For the same purpose as Law no. 24.
- Expedited Law no. 26: Approving an agreement regarding the tax system applied by the partner country on the projects funded by the European Development Fund.
- Expedited Law no. 27: Approving an agreement to establish the International Anti-Corruption Academy in Lebanon as an international organization.
- Expedited Law no. 28: Approving a funding agreement between the Lebanese republic and the European Investment Bank to finance the Nahr El Kalb- Tabarja highway at the cost of 75 million euros.
- Expedited Law no. 29: Agreeing to join the Basel Convention Ban Amendment regarding controlling trans-boundary movements of hazardous waste.
- Expedited Law no. 30: authorizing the government to spend credits worth LBP 1,348 billion to equip the arm with weapons and gear.
- Expedited Law no. 31: Increasing Lebanon’s contribution to the Islamic Development Bank capital by 21.8 million dinars.
- Expedited Law no. 32: Approving a funding agreement between the Lebanese republic and the European Investment Bank regarding the use of renewable energy in Lebanon at 50 million euros, i.e. 50% of the project’s value.
- Expedited Law no. 33: Approving a loan agreement between the Lebanese republic and the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development to help finance the housing project at 34 million Kuwaiti dinars (USD 119 million).
- Expedited Law no. 34: Approving a loan agreement between the Lebanese republic and the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development to help finance completion of sanitation facilities at 30 million Kuwaiti dinars (USD 105 million).
- Expedited Law no. 35: Approving the food safety law.
- Expedited Law no. 36: Authorizing the government to borrow in foreign currencies an amount not exceeding USD 3 billion.
- Expedited Law no. 37: Authorizing the government to increase Lebanon’s quota in the International Monetary Fund by 91 million special drawing units (around USD 123 million).
- Expedited Law no. 38: Authorizing the government to increase Lebanon’s contribution in the capital of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development by USD 5.2 million to be paid in cash.
- Expedited Law no. 39: Opening additional credits worth LBP 4,568 billion in the 2005 public budget (most recent approved budget) to cover some of the needs of public administrations and institutions.
- Expedited Law no. 40: Opening additional credits worth LBP 862 billion in the 2005 public budget (most recent approved budget) to cover the deficit in the public wages and salaries until the end of 2015.
- Expedited Law no. 41: Specifying the requirements for the recovery of the Lebanese nationality.
- Expedited Law no. 42: declaring trans-boundary money transfers when the transferred amounts exceed USD 15,000.
- Expedited Law no. 43: exchanging tax information and authorizing the government to join agreements to exchange tax evasion data.
- Expedited Law no. 44: fighting money laundering and terrorism.
- Expedited Law no. 45: Approving a loan agreement worth 35 million Kuwaiti dinars (USD 122 million) between the Lebanese government and the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development to help renovate the electricity facilities damaged by Israeli hostilities.
- Expedited Law no. 46: Approving a loan agreement worth 25 million Kuwaiti dinars (USD 88 million)between the Lebanese government and the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development aimed at financing the renovation of the power plants in Zouq and Jiyyeh.
- Expedited Law no. 47: Amending the overland trade law issued in 1942.
- Expedited Law no. 48: Approving a loan agreement worth 50 million Chinese yuans (USD 8 million) aimed at carrying out economic and technical cooperation projects between the Lebanese government and the Republic of China.
- Expedited Law no. 49: Approving another loan agreement worth 21 million Kuwaiti dinars (USD 73 million) between the Lebanese government and the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development in order to channel water from the Litani River to the south, providing both irrigation and drinking water.
- Expedited Law no. 50: Approving a loan agreement worth 32 million Kuwaiti dinars (USD 112 million) with the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development for the same purpose mentioned in Law no. 49.
- Expedited Law no. 51: Approving an agreement worth USD 15 million between the Lebanese republic and the World Bank to fight environmental pollution in Lebanon.
- Expedite Law no. 52: Approving a loan agreement worth 5.5 million Kuwaiti dinars (USD 19.3 million) with the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development to help finance the project of establishing and equipping a slaughterhouse in Tripoli.
- Expedite Law no. 53: Authorizing the Lebanese government to join the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism signed in New York on 9/12/1999.
- Expedited Law no. 54: Extending the effectiveness of Law no. 288/2014 (Regulating the electricity sector) by two additional years starting from the date of expiry of the law.
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