Muscat: The Shura Council will hold its 12th, 13th, and 14th regular sessions from Tuesday, June 24, to Thursday, June 26, 2025, as part of the second annual sitting of the Tenth Term (2023-2027).
The meetings will cover several proposed laws, reports from the Council's standing committees and working teams, and the ministerial statement from the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Investment Promotion.
In a statement, Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Nadabi, Secretary General of the Shura Council, stated that the Council will host Qais bin Mohammed Al Yousef, Minister of Commerce, Industry, and Investment Promotion, on Wednesday and Thursday, June 25-26, to present his ministry's statement to the members of the Shura Council in a public session.
The statement will be made in accordance with Article 69 of the Oman Council Law, which states that the Shura Council shall, at the start of each annual session, establish the schedule of ministerial statements and discussion points based on a joint proposal from the Council Bureau and the chairs of the standing committees.
The program is then presented to the government, along with the important elements and themes that each statement must include depending on the subject or sector it pertains to.
According to the Secretary General, the ministerial statement will address six key themes: the commerce and industry sectors' contribution to gross domestic product (GDP); the Ministry's vision for the future of the industrial sector; projects carried out between 2020 and 2023; the assessment of free trade agreements, the Nazdaher program, and the amount and trends of foreign direct investment; and the Ministry's future outlook.
He also stated that the report will include statistical analyses and performance indicators depicting the commerce and industry sectors' current status, while stressing the importance of encouraging investment through incentives and legislative facilitation, strengthening the legal framework, enhancing digital platforms, and supporting national initiatives such as "Invest in Oman. "
The statement will also assess the results of economic agreements made with GCC nations and other global partners.
The Council's 12th regular meeting, which takes place on Tuesday, June 24, will focus on several proposed laws, including the draft amendment of specific provisions of the Cultural Heritage Law and the Draft Law on Combating Cybercrimes.
The relevant committees have examined the proposed statutes and contrasted them to existing regional legislation, making suitable modifications to increase their effectiveness in accordance with national goals.
These proposed amendments will be discussed in preparation for referral to the State Council.
The agenda will also include a review of the Services and Public Utilities Committee's report on the proposed air services agreement with the Kingdom of the Netherlands, specifically Curaçao.
Furthermore, the Council will examine reports prepared by working groups established during this session to research national concerns.
These include the report from the working group assigned to evaluate the advantages of the social protection system and the report from the working group examining the digital economy file, which aims to support Oman’s direction toward improving the digital economy in accordance with Oman Vision 2040.
Several reports from the standing committees will also be presented. These include:
The Health and Social Committee's report on the plan to increase investment in the private health sector.
The Services and Public Utilities Committee's report on the plan to enhance telecommunications service quality in the Sultanate of Oman.
The Education, Research, and Innovation Committee's report on the plan to establish systems to enhance the economic benefits of scientific research and innovation in the Sultanate.
The Youth and Human Resources Committee's report on the Wage Protection System.
