Shura Council Speaker H E Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim chairing the Council's session yesterday.
Doha: The Shura Council yesterday decided to submit a non-binding proposal to the competent government authority outlining an array of perspectives to support the national and foreign investment.
These perspectives primarily include the consistent assessment of the Third Qatar National Development Strategy, development of digital licensing systems, modernization of investment legislation, the reassessment of fees and service structures, the expansion of support for local products, the localization of strategic industries, the expedited resolution of stalled projects, the provision of comprehensive investor databases, the regulation of industrial land allocation, and the offering of viable investment projects to the private sector.
The Shura Council convened its meeting yesterday at Tamim bin Hamad Hall, chaired by Speaker H E Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim.
Secretary-General of the Shura Council H E Nayef bin Mohammed Al Mahmoud read out the agenda, and accordingly, the legislature endorsed the minute of the previous meeting.
The legislature weighed in on the report of the Economic and Financial Affairs Committee, regarding the public discussion request submitted by a range of Their Excellencies the members on mechanisms to bolster both national and foreign investment.
H E Al Ghanim stated that over the past years, the State of Qatar has made a remarkable breakthrough in terms of investment climate.
He underscored the importance of advancing the relevant statutory legislation and policies and improving the supportive services, in pursuit of deepening the nation’s standing as a global investment hub that contributes to undergirding the pillars of the national economy.
Having reviewed the report, Vice-Chairman of the Economic and Financial Affairs Committee Essa bin Ahmad Al Nassr highlighted the outcomes of the meetings held by the committee, along with its engagement with expert opinions and the generated recommendations on accelerating the procedures, upgrading the systems, fostering the transparency, and optimizing the legislative and regulatory infrastructure to draw investments.
Furthermore, the legislature further weighed in on the report submitted by the Health, General Services, and Environment Committee on the request for public discussion with respect to the mechanisms of agricultural support provided to local farms, as well as their contribution to enhancing food security.
Al Ghanim emphasized that it is incredibly important to advance the agricultural support policies in alignment with the imperatives of food security and sustainability. He underlined the pivotal role of national farms in attaining self-sufficiency and the pressing need to dismantle barriers that undermine their competitiveness.
Chairman of the Health, General Services, and Environment Committee Mubarak bin Mohammed Al Kuwari reviewed the outcomes and proposals laid down in the report, which addressed the legislative, financial, technical, and oversight dimensions of agricultural support, along with the set of recommendations formulated by the committee following its engagement with the perspectives of the competent entities.
Having fully deliberated on the committee’s conclusive findings, the legislature decided to forward a non-binding proposal to the competent government authority outlining a range of measures that support local farms.
The proposal highlights foremost measures such as enacting clear legislations to support domestic production, linking support to production levels, reducing electricity bills, offering specialized agricultural advisory services, encouraging contractual engagement with the private sector, establishing pricing mechanisms for agricultural products, bolstering oversight of imported goods’ quality, promoting agro-industrial manufacturing, imposing import restrictions during peak domestic production seasons, and providing accurate statistical data to support agricultural planning.
Afterwards, the legislature examined a draft legislation on biometric fingerprinting and a draft legislation on genetic fingerprinting, both referred by the competent government authority, and resolved to refer them to the Internal and External Affairs Committee for further review and submission of its conclusive findings thereon to the legislature.
