Several business owners, including merchants and industrialists, objected to what they called some of the arbitrary decisions taken by the Ministry of Economy and Trade. They demanded the reform and amendment to these decisions.
Their objections were made in a videoed statement following their meeting with Mohamed Raied, the President of the General Union of Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture at his Tripoli headquarters on Monday.
The most important of these decisions are the Ministry of Economy and Trade’s decisions No. 44, 375, 501, and 201. Most of these decisions are related to regulating and restricting imported goods.
At the end of the meeting, the participants read out the following statement:
- It is necessary to take practical steps to reduce the problems of the private sector and limit taking arbitrary decisions that negatively reflect on the sector.
- The need for the participation of the General Union of Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture in drafting the relevant Ministry of Economy and Trade’s decisions, as it is the official representative of the private sector in Libya, in accordance with Chapter 12 of the Commercial Law.
- Calling on the Minister of Economy to suspend these decisions until they are studied with the General Union and a workshop is held in which the concerned economic authorities and businessmen participate.
- Forming an economic committee in cooperation with the General Union of Chambers to study these decisions and provide appropriate alternatives.
