In the framework of strengthening local industries, the minister of industry, Wael Abu Faour, issued a decision on May 21 exempting some imported raw material from undergoing lab tests. The decision was ensued on June 5 by another “present”, as he described it, to industrialists. This was revealed during his meeting with the head of the Lebanese Industrialists Association (LIA), Fadi Gemayel, to discuss protective measures aimed to boost the sector. The above exemption, Abu Faour, noted, helps in reducing the cost and time on industrialists. Recalling, that the minister of communications, Mohamad Shukeir, criticized Abu Faour after the issuance of the first batch of regulations, saying he was impulsive in his act, to which the industry minister responded by defending the timing of the decision. The list of measures, he said, should have been taken fifty years back from the Independence Day to date. The commercial-driven line of thought which has prevailed in the past has hard hit the productive sectors, calling on its supporters to reconsider their vision. (Al Diyar, June 7, 2019)