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Minister Hajj Hassan reiterates from Rome his demand for access to European markets
6-4-2017
The industry minister Dr. Hussein Hajj Hassan headed the Lebanese delegation to Rome to attend the 4th MENA Regional Assessment Meeting on ‘Access to finance: challenges and good practices to support women in business’. The event is organized by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in collaboration with the Italian Development Agency for International Cooperation. On the occasion, Hajj Hassan pointed out that Lebanese women have demonstrated exceptional capacities in the fields of technology, science and innovation, as well as in many disciplines and positions across the private and public sectors. The biggest challenge however remains in finding jobs, the same challenge facing their men partners, the minister said. And while lauding the aid Lebanon receives from the international community, it barely reaches 10% of the pledged amount, Hajj Hassan stated, demanding a new approach based on supporting an economic trend for Lebanon that is essentially linked to opening foreign markets for made-in-Lebanon products in preparation for the creation of a friendly environment that promotes investment, increases production and generates jobs. Citing public debt figures, Haj Hassan warned that recovery from the economic crisis cannot succeed without the help of the international community, particularly, the European Union, which is dubbed Lebanon’s first trading partner. Europe, the minister advised, should open its markets for Lebanese exports that boast international and European specifications. Lebanon is planning to double the size of its exports to Europe from USD 300 million to USD 600 million in the first stage, hoping to reach USD one billion in the coming few years, the minister maintained. In the same context, the chief of the Lebanese Industrialists Association, Fadi Gemayel, after meeting with ILO director general, said the industrial sector has been largely affected by war in Syria, pointing to the decline in exports by USD 1.5 billion from USD 3.6 billion after the closing of the borders over the past three years. (Al Mustaqbal, Al Diyar, Al Hayat, An Nahar, April 4 and 5, 2017)
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