Council of Ministers passes decisions on various bills
Addis Ababa, February 24, 2024 (FBC) – In its 27th regular session today, the Council of Ministers of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia deliberated and approved bills on 9 issues and referred the remaining bills on seven different matters to the House of Peoples Representatives for approval.
In today’s session, the council deliberated and passed decisions on draft regulation of Forest Development, Conservation and Utilization, implementation of financial agreements signed with the International Development Association, financial support agreements signed with the Italian government, amending regulation of National Veterinary Institute, service fees to be paid for the services rendered by the Ethiopian Standards Agency and the Federal Document Authentication & Registration Service, National Disaster Risk Management Commission policy, proposed amendment on principal agreement on IGAD establishing document, and draft agreements on development of several mines.
The council initially deliberated upon the draft regulation concerning the development, conservation, and sustainable utilization of forests. This draft regulation is formulated with the intention of fostering the proper development, conservation, and sustainable utilization of the nation’s forest resources, with the overarching goal of fostering a climate change-resilient economy and integrating carbon stocks into the international market system.
After extensive discussion, the council unanimously approved the draft regulation, effective from the day its publication on the Negarit gazette.
Secondly, the council discussed the 3 financial support agreements signed with the International Development Association (IDA). It is learned that the agreements include a loan of 300 million US dollars earmarked for the implementation of an inclusive digital ID project, 200 million US dollars to be used for the implementation of the education and training project, and 90 million US dollars to be used for the implementation of the trading logistics improvement program.
The council decided to forward the draft proclamations for approval to the parliament by scrutinizing the terms of the loans to ensure they are interest-free, entail a 1.25% service fee for managing expenses and unused funds, feature a grace period of 6 years, a repayment period of 38 years, and adhere to Ethiopia’s credit management policy.
In the third instance, the council deliberated upon two financial support agreements entered into with the Italian government. The first agreement pertains to a 6.5 million euro loan designated for the execution of the sustainable development project in the Boye Lake vicinity, while the second agreement involves an 83.5 million euro loan allocated for the implementation of the energy sector initiative.
The council unanimously decided to forward the bills on the two agreements to the House of Peoples’ Representatives by examining that the loans are interest-free and have a grace period of 16 years to be paid in 30 years and are in line with Ethiopia’s credit management policy.
Then, the council deliberated on the draft bill to amend the regulations of the National Veterinary Institute. The amended draft regulation is crafted to facilitate the institute’s alignment with the national strategy manufacturing of vaccines in the country, medicines, biologicals, and reagents essential for animal health research and associated resources.
After discussions on this regulation amendment draft proposed bill, the council unanimously decided that the authorized capital of the institute should be 2.6 billion birr, and that the regulation should be put into operation from the date of its publication in the Negarit gazette.
The fifth agenda deliberated by the council focused on proposed regulations aimed at establishing service fees for the services provided by the Ethiopian Standards Agency and the Federal Document Authentication & Registration Service. These draft regulations have been designed with the objective of expanding the scope of services offered by the two institutions, enhancing the quality of their services, and instituting a system that allows them to defray a portion of the service-related costs in consideration of the financial capacity of their clientele.
After extensive discussion, the council unanimously approved the draft regulations which will be effective with additional inputs from the date of their publication on the Negarit gazette.
Furthermore, the council also deliberated on the draft policy of Ethiopian Disaster Risk Management Commission (EDRMC). It is noted that the EDRMC’s draft policy has been formulated with due regard to the prevailing national circumstances, Ethiopia’s constitutional framework, and the international agreements ratified by the country. The objective is to ensure that Ethiopia’s disaster risk management endeavors align with its aspirations for sustainable development and prosperity, placing paramount importance on safeguarding human life.
After extensive discussion on the draft policy, the council unanimously decided to put it into effect with added resources from today the 24th of February 2024.
The council went on to discuss the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) new treaty for ratification. It is said that deepening cooperation among member countries, economic, social, environmental and political integration, as well as speeding up cross-border cooperation, should facilitate the sustainable development of member countries. Therefore, the amendment of the IGAD establishment agreement was approved by the summit held on June 12, 2023.
The council unanimously decided to forward it to the parliament for approval.
The eighth agenda the council discussed today was the bill proposed to approve the memorandum of understanding signed between the governments of Ethiopia and Jordan in the field of overseas employment. The agreement is said to be significant in providing a legal basis for the observance of the rights of Ethiopians currently working in Jordan and those who wish to go and work there in the future.
The council discussed the agreement entered between the two countries in detail and unanimously decided to forward it to the House of Peoples’ Representatives for approval.
Finally, the council discussed four draft agreements related to the development of bromine, granite, coal and alluvial gold.
The council unanimously decided that the Ministry of Mines to ink and implement the agreement by confirming whether the agreements will help the country achieve the strategy designed to fulfill industrial inputs through domestic resources; increase foreign exchange earnings; contribute; to the creation of employment opportunities for citizens; as well as ensure that they are the agreements that follow the government’s policy direction in terms of environmental protection and community benefit.