A sneak peek at the agenda for parliament’s next session: Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly yesterday presided over a meeting where government officials reviewed the draft laws that will be presented at the parliament’s upcoming session, according to a cabinet statement. The session is set to prioritize several key draft laws that seek to issue new legislation or amend existing laws. Here’s a rundown of the issues to be addressed and where they stand:

  • Labor Act: The government pulled the bill from the House of Representatives last year to redraft it after backlash from the business community, which said the original version was lopsided in favor of workers. Prior to the redraft, the bill would have introduced new labor rights, including legislating mandatory annual raises, caps on working hours, and longer maternity leave and notice periods, among other things. Labor unions have also had sharp criticism of the previous version of the bill.
  • Competition Act: The cabinet in April approved amendments to executive regulations of the Competition Act, which will add a section on economic concentration. Under the amendments, the Egyptian Competition Authority will be responsible for evaluating economic concentrations’ impacts on the competitive landscape and intervene if necessary.
  • Property IDs: The cabinet in August 2023 approved a draft law that would give each property a unique digital ID on a centralized government database. Under the law, the government would issue ID cards or plates for each property and issue penalties to anyone who removes or otherwise tampers with the ID plates. This is part of the government’s push to build a comprehensive property inventory and crack down on wildcat building.
  • Local Administration Act: The House of Representatives’ Local Administration Committee last month made a recommendation to expedite the issuance of the long-awaited law, with the committee’s head Ahmed El Seguiny telling local press that the draft law has not yet been presented to the committee. The law — which has been in dire need since a court dissolved municipal councils in 2011 and has faced delays at nearly every step of the way — would set the stage for local council and municipal elections in Egypt.

Also on the agenda: MPs will also discuss amendments to the state property law, traffic law, measures to improve the integrity and transparency of companies, the environment act, and university act.

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