Sunday AM Iraq Economic News Highlights 8-14-22
The Ministry Of Finance Issues Instructions Regarding The Powers Of Disbursing The Food Security Law[/Size]
Economie| 12:13 – 14/08/2022 Baghdad – Mawazine News, today, Sunday, the Ministry of Finance issued instructions regarding the powers of disbursing the Food Security and Development Law No. 2 of 2022.
The ministry called on “the ministries and agencies not associated with a ministry to review the budget department to receive the instructions.”
Below is a link to the instructions for the authority to disburse the Food Security Law:
https://www.mawazin.net/Details.aspx?jimare=202385
The Volume Of Trade Exchange Between Iraq And Lebanon Increased To 150 Million Dollars[/Size]
Economie| 09:37 – 14/08/2022 Follow-up – Mawazine News, the volume of trade exchange between Iraq and Lebanon amounted to only 150 million dollars during the past year 2021, including 125 million Iraqi imports from Lebanon and more than 5 million dollars the volume of Lebanese imports from Iraq, according to the trade map website, which provides a map of trade for countries for exports and imports.
The website stated in a statistic on its website, which was reviewed by Shafak News Agency, that “Iraq imported 24 items of goods from Lebanon during the past year, with a value of 125.028 million dollars,” noting that “these imports reduced the growth in them by 9% between 2017 to 2021.”
He added that “the three most important materials and commodities imported by Iraq from Lebanon are essential oils and cosmetics, with a financial value of 26.064 million dollars, followed by machinery and electrical equipment with a financial value of 17.512 million dollars, followed by machines and mechanical devices with a value of 11.625 million dollars.”
The website also indicated that “Iraq’s exports to Lebanon amounted to $5.362 million, indicating that” these exports grew by 11% between 2017 to 2021.
It stated that “the most important Iraqi exports to Lebanon are prepared vegetables, fruits or nuts, with a financial value of 2.093”. million dollars, followed by mineral fuels, mineral oils and their distillation products, with a value of 813 thousand dollars.” LINK
Who will save Iraq’s environment? Drought and desertification increase the suffering of millions of citizens!
Posted On2022-08-14 By Sotaliraq Baghdad / Hussein Hatem
There are many challenges facing Iraq’s environment as a result of various and varied factors, foremost of which are air pollution and severe water shortages, as well as drought and desertification and an increase in the number of dust storms.
Iraq is facing an unprecedented environmental crisis, as its skies are raining with dust and pollutants, and Mesopotamia is no longer providing the country’s lands with abundant rain that saves them from an imminent drought.
Among the most prominent admissions of the future disaster is what the President of the Republic, Barham Salih, admitted that “seven million Iraqis will actually be affected by drought and forced displacement” as a result of climate change.
Ironically, in 2021, Iraq celebrated the centenary of the founding of its modern state in conjunction with environmental challenges that threaten its existence! In just 100 years, its ecosystem is on the verge of collapse, and the level of water flow in its historical rivers has decreased to less than a tenth.
After recording in 1920 a flow of 1,350 m3/sec, the flow became less than 150 m3/sec in 2021.
Iraq spends more than 63% of its water resources on agriculture without meeting its domestic need for crops, and often depends on imports from abroad, which means that there is water wastage that is not matched by an abundance of productivity.
The Minister of Environment, Jassim Al-Falahi, told Al-Mada that “the challenges facing the environmental sector are great and include three levels, and the most prominent challenge facing us is climate changes, a significant increase in temperatures, the shortage of our water revenues, the challenge of drought, dust storms and the desert, in addition to environmental pollution, which includes water and air. and soil.”
Al-Falahi added, “There are great challenges related to the increase in pollution rates, and these need a serious pause, in addition to the challenge that includes biodiversity and natural reserves and is related to the presence of polluted sites that need serious follow-up.”
He explained that “the most prominent pollution in Iraq is the contamination with mines and explosive devices, and we lead the countries of the world in it, especially after the occupation of large areas by ISIS terrorist gangs,” adding: “We have great cooperation with international organizations, and I say frankly that the ministry for many years did not receive the necessary support from a financial point of view.” Rather, it relied on funding from international organizations and donors, and was able to carry out very large work to clean many contaminated areas from mines and explosives, but the contaminated areas are large and need solidarity and support at the level of the federal budget or at the level of international support.”
Al-Falahi indicated that “the environmental sector, after separating the Ministry of Environment from health and issuing paragraphs within the health insurance articles 37 and 44, is a sure confirmation that this ministry’s laws are still in force and have not changed, and we have special support from the Prime Minister who is interested in environmental issues and the introduction of the concepts of renewable energies and clean energies to compensate The massive shortage of energy and in line with international environmental standards, and he is interested in introducing the concept of a green economy, and this is an additional factor for the Iraqi economy, which is concerned with crude oil as a main factor.
He pointed out, “Baghdad suffers from a significant decline in infrastructure and needs a new administrative city,” noting that “the environmental pollution in Baghdad has reached levels that cannot be tolerated.”
He pointed out that “the ministry has a database for pollution in all governorates,” noting that “the investment law needs to be amended, as a strategic vision must be developed for investment and to move away from randomness.”
Al-Falahi went on to say, “There is a great potential for making investments in the health and environmental sectors on the outskirts of cities.”
The Director General of the Environmental Awareness and Information Department at the Ministry of Environment, Amir Ali Al-Hassoun, told Al-Mada that “the Iraqi environment is facing several updates, most notably the pollution of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, in addition to the abuses,” noting that “what is happening has been going on since the eighties, but things have greatly intensified during In recent years, especially after the decline in water levels due to the water policy of Turkey and Iran.”
Al-Hassoun added, “Currently 35% of the percentages that were up to four decades ago reach Iraq,” noting that “the municipal departments have not worked to establish infrastructure that treats sewage water.”
He pointed out that “the Baghdad Municipality and the municipalities’ departments are among the biggest polluters of the Tigris River, in addition to the rest of the health and industrial activities, especially that oversight is weak and not strict.”
Al-Hassoun pointed out that “the pollution rate increases as water becomes scarce, and the Ministry of Environment gives a weekly position on the numbers for each governorate,” noting that “the Ministries of Environment and Water Resources are following up the issue well, but the volume of pollution is large in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.”
He believed, “The Iraqi citizen is currently at risk, especially in the south, and the Ministry of Environment and its departments are officially monitoring and sending measures with every party working to pollute the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, whether it is an industrial or oil activity that causes damage according to Law 27 of 2008, a law that authorizes the ministry to take A set of procedures, including a warning and a closure penalty for all violations.
Al-Hassoun noted, “The ministry sometimes cannot close an oil facility or a facility that generates electric power with old origins and life depends on it,” noting that “there is a Diwaniyah Order No. 99 of 2019, according to which a higher committee was formed under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister, which is still active and supervised.” The Prime Minister to find solutions to those problems,” stressing that “despite the difficult financial circumstance of the budget, the committee is determined to address these problems in the Baghdad Municipality and the sectors that cause pollution in order to avoid Iraq falling into a major pollution crisis.”
Despite Iraq’s accession to the “Paris Climate Agreement” in late 2021, climate change is being used as a political tool or a means of blackmail, as Turkey and Iran do with Iraq.
Iraq’s ranking according to the environmental performance efficiency standard was ranked 116 out of 180 countries. Therefore, Iraq recently tried, with international aid, to address its environmental failures by launching a national adaptation plan to combat climate change in late 2019 over a period of 36 months, in cooperation with the United Nations Environment Program And with a reduced funding not commensurate with the size of the environmental disaster, at a value of $2.5 million, granted by the Green Climate Fund.
However, until August 2021, none of the objectives of the plan were achieved, and Iraq is now classified as the fifth most exposed country in the world to water and food scarcity and high temperatures, according to a report by the United Nations Environment Organization. The report was supported by the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF) and Journalists for Human Rights (jhr .). LINK
Posted On2022-08-14 By Sotaliraq On Saturday, Minister of Water Resources Mahdi Rashid Al-Hamdani attributed the high salt tide in the waters of the Shatt al-Arab in the Basra Governorate, the southernmost province of Iraq, to the Iranian side’s cutting off all the tributaries flowing into this beach.
This came in a statement made by t he Minister to reporters on the sidelines of an inspection visit to the ongoing work in implementing the first phase of the Basra pipeline project.
Al-Hamdani said in his statement, that the high level of salinity in the Shatt al-Arab is a result of the high tide, indicating that this year is different from the previous ones with regard to the tide of sea water, and that this tide is accompanied by high salt concentrations in addition to the issue of cutting off Karun water, and the work of a dam by the Iranian side, as well as Other negative factors affected the dispersal of high tide waters in the Shatt.
He added that the Iranian side built a dam without taking into account the interests of Iraq, and diverted the course of the Karun River, and the courses of all rivers and tributaries that flow into the Shatt al-Arab, and the pressure on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers became in strengthening the releases.
The minister added, “We are releasing significant quantities of water to stop this local tide, and in the coming days, its results will be positively reflected.” LINK
On Saturday, Minister of Water Resources Mahdi Rashid Al-Hamdani attributed the high salt tide in the waters of the Shatt al-Arab in the Basra Governorate, the southernmost province of Iraq, to the Iranian side’s cutting off all the tributaries flowing into this beach.
This came in a statement made by the Minister to reporters on the sidelines of an inspection visit to the ongoing work in implementing the first phase of the Basra pipeline project.
Al-Hamdani said in his statement, that the high level of salinity in the Shatt al-Arab is a result of the high tide, indicating that this year is different from the previous ones with regard to the tide of sea water, and that this tide is accompanied by high salt concentrations in addition to the issue of cutting off Karun water, and the work of a dam by the Iranian side, as well as Other negative factors affected the dispersal of high tide waters in the Shatt.
He added that the Iranian side built a dam without taking into account the interests of Iraq, and diverted the course of the Karun River, and the courses of all rivers and tributaries that flow into the Shatt al-Arab, and the pressure on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers became in strengthening the releases.
The minister added, “We are releasing significant quantities of water to stop this local tide, and in the coming days, its results will be positively reflected.”
Iraq invites three international companies to build a dam to treat the salt tongue in the Shatt al-Arab
Money and business Economy News _ Baghdad The Ministry of Water Resources invited three international companies to submit bids to treat the salt tongue in the Shatt al-Arab in the Basra Governorate.
According to documents obtained by “Economy News,” the ministry submitted official books to three companies, including Serbian Energoprojekt, the Dutch Deltares and the Italian Hydronova, to submit their bids directly to treat the salt tongue in the Shatt al-Arab and to establish a regulatory dam to prevent the expansion of the salt tongue within the first stage.
According to the books, the ministry demanded that companies submit their bids no later than 5 September 2022.
It is noteworthy that the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers has called on the Ministry of Water Resources to expedite the preparation of studies related to the project, after allocating earlier four billion and 700 million dinars. 37 . views Added 08/14/2022 – 11:15 AM Update 08/14/2022 – 12:45 PM
Professors In Financial And Constitutional Law: Salaries Are Insured And Will Not Be Interrupted
Posted On2022-08-14 By Sotaliraq Baghdad/Bright news
Professors specialized in financial and constitutional law denied the possibility of the state stopping paying salaries at the end of the current year, stressing that the legislation in force obliges the state to continue spending on all its facilities even in the absence of a budget for more than a year.
Politicians had published tweets and press statements in which they warned of the state’s inability to pay salaries at the end of the current year, on the grounds that the Financial Management Law allows for the payment of expenses for one year if the budget is absent, and that does not extend for another year.
In an interview with Al-Mada, Professor of Financial Legislation at the University of Mosul, Qabas Al-Badrani, said that “Financial Management Law No. (6) of 2019 (amended) regulated the budget preparation process, what it includes, and the cases that may occur there.”
Al-Badrany added, “The third chapter of this law consists of several articles, including Article 13, which stipulates two cases. The first is the delay in approving the budget beyond the date set before December 31.”
She indicated, “The solution is through the Minister of Finance to issue a circular according to which he will spend monthly on the basis of the budget for the previous year.”
Al-Badrany reported, “The law allows spending according to this mechanism until the approval of the federal budget, and this means that there is a legal extension even if the approval of the budget continues to be disrupted.”
Al-Badrany stated, “The second case, referred to by the law, is the failure to approve the budget for a full fiscal year, and in this case the final financial statements for the previous year are the same as for the year that did not witness the approval of the budget.”
And she stressed, “The last budget approved in Iraq is for the year 2021, and therefore its data is approved on the basis of exchange, and the Minister of Finance in this case does not need approval, but merely issues a circular, and these data are submitted to the House of Representatives for the purpose of approval.”
Al-Badrany went on to say, “No country in the world can dare to stop public spending, especially current expenditures such as salaries, maintenance, and daily and monthly exchange, and therefore the law in force allowed for monthly spending to be repeated on the basis of the 2021 budget in 2023.”
For his part, Professor of Constitutional Law at Al-Mustansiriya University, Wael Munther, stated in a statement to (Al-Mada), that “the claim that Article 13 of the Financial Management Law cannot be applied to the next year is incorrect.”
Munther continued, “Those who support this trend have interpreted the article literally, which is incorrect, and said that the exchange on a monthly basis according to the previous budget is for one year only.”
He pointed out, “Adherence to this literal interpretation contradicts the principle of the permanence and continuity of the state, especially when we are under a caretaker government with daily tasks.”
Munther believes that “the interpretation closest to the legal reality is to rely on the monthly percentages of the closest approved budget if the fiscal year in which we are in did not witness the adoption of a budget.”
He stressed, “It is incorrect to say that salaries will stop at the end of the current year, because the budget has not been approved for two consecutive years.”
Munther concluded, “The government should be committed to paying salaries and spending from the operating budget, because we are facing a basic principle on which the state is based, which is the principle of permanence and continuity of the public utility represented by the state.”
In turn, the resigned MP from the Sadrist bloc, Ali Hussein Al-Saadi, said in a statement received by Al-Mada, “We are paid from time to time by paid trumpets whose purpose is to mislead public opinion in a desperate attempt to spread malicious rumors to achieve suspicious goals.”
Al-Saadi added: “A media statement was recently issued by one of those trumpets, warning against stopping the payment of employee salaries on the pretext of delaying the formation of the government.”
He stressed, “The salaries of the employees are secured and their disbursement cannot be stopped in any way, even if the government is not formed or the general budget of the country is approved.”
He pointed out, “The possibility of disbursing salaries and managing the rest of the state’s affairs through the effective financial management law, which the country is following, according to the principle of 1/12 disbursement.”
Al-Saadi went on to say that “past years witnessed the disbursement of employee salaries, despite the absence of a budget, as well as this year with the current caretaker government.”
It is noteworthy that Iraq was unable to approve the budget for the current year, with expectations that this will be suspended for more time due to the delay in forming the government. LINK
