The National Economic, Social and Environmental Council holds its fourth session of the General Assembly – Al-Hiwar Algeria

The Economic, Social and Environmental Council held, today, Wednesday in Algiers, the fourth session of its general assembly, in order to assess the achievements of the past year and present the indicators of the first quarter of the current year.
In his opening speech to the session, which coincided with the celebration of the International Day of Communication and the Information Society, the President of the Council, Sidi Mohamed Bouchnak Kheladi, stressed the importance of accompanying the state’s endeavors to digitize its devices according to the priorities dictated by the current circumstance, appreciating the “important decisions” of the Council of Ministers aimed at generalizing digitization.
He also praised the continuous efforts of the country, under the leadership of the President of the Republic, to build a diversified national economy, to provide optimal care for social life, to protect the purchasing power of citizens of all categories, to combat speculation, and to complete the course of reforms aimed at embodying the project of the new Algeria.
In the same context, he referred to the important role that the Council should play in light of the current international and regional conditions, and the need for it to contribute effectively to the national effort aimed at addressing the repercussions of the current global situation, by working on assessing the risks associated with its field of competence and initiating practical proposals to address them.
During the session, the results of the Council’s activities for the previous session were presented, in addition to presenting and discussing 4 reports of the various committees in the Council on civil society, the new tax system, regional organization, and stakes for development plans for local regions.
During a lively press conference on the sidelines of the session, Mr. Bushnaq Khalladi said that 2022 was a “positive year” in view of the progress of the various projects implemented by the country’s higher authorities.
He explained that the economic report for the year 2022, which will be approved today, before submitting it to the President of the Republic, proves “taking care of an important aspect of citizens’ concerns.”
He praised the “remarkable economic effects” of the improvement in the trade balance as a result of the increase in hydrocarbon exports and even non-hydrocarbon exports, with a “coverage rate of 150 percent, with a surplus of more than $20 billion.”
The year 2022 was also marked by “the economic take-off according to a new vision embodied in the issuance of the new investment law, the improvement of the business climate and the attractiveness of foreign investment, in addition to taking measures of a social nature, by reviewing the tax schedule on gross income and the salaries of public office employees and the inferential point and Unemployment grant age.
In response to a question related to Algeria’s accession to the BRICS group, Mr. Bouchenak Khelladi said that the council “is preparing a study centered on developing a strategy to ensure that Algeria benefits from this accession.”