The outputs of the government meeting – the Algerian dialogue

The Prime Minister, Ayman bin Abdul Rahman, chaired this Wednesday, December 21, 2022, a government meeting, which was held at the government palace.

During its weekly meeting, the government examined the following points:

In the field of justice:

The government studied a preliminary draft law related to the prevention and combating of human trafficking, which was submitted by the Minister of Justice, Keeper of the Seals.

This draft text, which was initiated as a precautionary measure, considering that this is a phenomenon that is completely strange and alien to our society, falls within the framework of adapting national legislation to the relevant international mechanisms, especially the Protocol supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, which aims to prevent and the suppression and punishment of trafficking in persons, especially women and children, called the Palermo Protocol, ratified in 2003, which urges Member States, including those not affected by this phenomenon, to adopt a legal and institutional regime in this field.

In the field of finance:

The government examined, in a second reading, a preliminary draft law amending and supplementing Ordinance No. 03-11 of August 26, 2003, relating to money and credit, submitted by the Minister of Finance.

The preliminary draft of this law, which falls within the framework of the comprehensive economic reforms program outlined by the President of the Republic, provides for fundamental reforms aimed at adding more transparency and stability to the country’s financial management through the inclusion of new monetary policy tools in order to achieve major economic goals.

In this regard, the proposed amendments included, in particular, the modernization of banking management professions and the adaptation of the law to the comprehensive reforms taking place in the financial system. Moreover, the preliminary draft of this law enshrines Islamic banking and the digitization of banking activity by opening up the banking ecosystem to digital banks and payment service providers, as well as electronic currency payments. It also provides for the inclusion of a central bank digital currency.

Thus, the listed amendments aim to bring the regulation in line with international best practices and standards, particularly in the field of strengthening the governance of the Bank of Algeria, the Monetary and Loan Council, the Banking Commission, as well as banks and financial institutions.

In the field of public works:

The government has studied a draft executive decree amending and supplementing Executive Decree No. 10-103 of April 1, 2010, which includes the declaration of public utility for the process related to the preparation of road entrances to the new city of Buainane (Blida wilaya), submitted by the Minister of Public Works, Irrigation and Basic Facilities.

This amendment includes taking care of the works of the following (2) axes:

The road linking the new city of Buainan – Blida University and the East-West Highway, at a distance of 11.7 km;

The northern bypass road of the new city of Buainan, at a distance of 10.9 km.

It should be noted that the completion of these two axes (2) aims to reduce traffic congestion at the level of National Road No. 29, which is completely overcrowded and congested at the level of the three residential communities (3) of Buainan, Al-Sawma’a and Awlad Yaish, due to the large density of traffic resulting from the establishment of the new city. Buainan (43,500 dwellings in Buainan and 7,000 at the level of Sidi Sarhan).

In the field of health:

The Minister of Health presented a draft executive decree specifying the modalities for the payment of medical services by foreign persons at the level of public health structures and institutions, in implementation of the provisions of Article 300 of Law No. 11-18 of July 2, 2018, related to health.

This draft text aims to enable public health structures and institutions to respond to the significant increase in the number of foreign patients benefiting from undertaking treatment services throughout the national territory, as well as having special resources that can be allocated to finance certain activities and priority needs of health institutions.

In the field of drinking water supply at the level of new neighborhoods:

The Minister of the Interior, Local Communities and Urban Development, the Minister of Housing, Urbanism and the City, and the Minister of Public Works, Irrigation and Basic Facilities, made a joint presentation on the problem of drinking water supply at the level of new neighborhoods to the “Adl” agency and the National Foundation for Real Estate Promotion.

In this context, it was decided to put in place a multisectoral framework in order to strengthen the national strategy for the management of the water distribution network and to enable the establishment of a method of work that guarantees the unification of the management of the public water service.

Finally, in the fertilizer industry:

The government listened to a presentation on the work carried out by the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Energy and Mines, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, related to the progress made in the field of developing the fertilizer industry in Algeria, as well as the conditions for its marketing.

In this regard, it was pointed out that despite the fluctuations in fertilizer prices at the international level, as they increased significantly due to the rise in natural gas prices, the national market was supplied without interruption or disturbances.

On the other hand, with regard to operators active in the field of fertilizers, directives have been given to improve the relevant regulatory framework, in order to ensure a reliable distribution pattern and continuous supply to the national market.