El-Hawary: Legislative support constitutes the legal foundation for operationalizing proposed reforms into concrete implementable measures

As part of ongoing efforts by the National Committee overseeing Egypt's preparations for inclusion in the World Bank “WB" Group's "Business Ready" report, the first meeting of the Legislative Support Working Group was convened. The meeting was attended by Dr. Dhalia El-Hawary, Deputy CEO of the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI CEO Deputy) and Chair of the Technical Secretariat of the National Committee; Counselor Aser Mohyisen, Assistant Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade; as well as representatives from relevant ministries, government entities, and the private sector. The meeting reflects a commitment to strengthening public-private partnerships (PPP) in support of economic and legislative reforms.

The meeting was held in implementation of the Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade's directive to oversee the enactment of legislative and regulatory reforms related to the WB Report, ensuring alignment of such reforms with the national legal framework and promoting synergy among various legislative reform tracks. This comes in support of the State's efforts to improve the business environment and enhance the competitiveness of the Egyptian economy.

The meeting witnessed the review of the Technical Secretariat's roadmap over the previous phases, which included three intensive rounds of technical discussions and institutional coordination involving wide participation from government entities and the private sector. The meeting also addressed the progress of the action plan and proposed reforms developed based on gap analysis results and feedback from specialized working groups.

In her remarks, Dr. Dhalia El-Hawary emphasized the critical role of the Legislative Support Working Group in transforming technical findings into applicable legal instruments. She underscored that legislative support constitutes the legal foundations for operationalizing proposed reforms into concrete, implementable measures that strengthen the State's ability to improve the business environment and streamline procedures for investors. Dr. El-Hawary also highlighted the importance of sustained coordination between legal and technical experts within the working groups to ensure consistency across technical, regulatory, and legislative dimensions of the reform process.

The meeting featured extensive discussions among representatives of government entities and the private sector on mechanisms for coordination with the Digital Transformation Support Group, prioritization of legislative reforms as per the approved timelines, and proposals to enhance the efficiency of legal drafting and institutional alignment ahead of finalizing reform legislation.

The meeting was concluded with a reaffirmation that the Legislative Support Working Group will continue its work in the coming phase in full coordination with government entities and other working groups under the National Committee's Technical Secretariat, with active participation from the private sector. These efforts aim to ensure integrated approaches and unified perspectives on the proposed reforms in preparation for submission to the Council of Ministers and adoption within the National Action Plan related to "Business Ready" Report.​