The second round of the Egyptian National Dialogue sessions focused on the economic crisis in the country amid aspirations to provide urgent solutions to “high prices, inflation, and public debt.”
The closed economic axis sessions began on Monday with the participation of government officials.
The first day witnessed three sessions to discuss high prices, high inflation rates, and loss of control over the markets. The second session addressed the obstacles facing production and export, while the third discussed the monetary policies and the dollar and foreign exchange shortage.
According to a statement by the Board of Trustees of the National Dialogue, the discussions will continue until next Thursday under various titles that address multiple aspects of the economic crisis, including public debt, the budget deficit, public investment priorities, state ownership policy, and social justice.
The Board of Trustees said in a press statement on Monday that the session reviewed several proposals within the executive and legislative framework to come up with recommendations to alleviate the burden on citizens.
According to a board member, Gouda Abdulkhaliq, the sessions aim to develop solutions to the urgent aspects of the economic crisis affecting the masses, especially high prices.
Abdulkhaliq told Asharq Al-Awsat that the first sessions reached urgent recommendations. He explained that the government must announce some goods as strategic and ensure they are available at reasonable prices for a specific period in the markets.
They also recommended setting a binding price for all merchants who deal with the strategic goods, equivalent to the cost of production with a reasonable profit margin.
Among the recommendations also, according to Abdulkhaliq, the government should implement a complete exemption for essential food commodities from all types of fees and taxes until the crisis has subsided.
He said that the government must also commit to setting a fair price for its services to citizens, such as electricity and water.
Among the recommendations are developing the capabilities of the consumer and competition protection agencies and preventing monopoly by activating market oversight.
Board member Talaat Abdel Qawi believes it is essential to choose titles for the sessions, such as prices and loss of control over the markets because they reflect the desire to address people’s concerns.
Abdel Qawi told Asharq Al-Awsat that the participation of ministers and government officials in the sessions will increase the chances of consensus on specific and urgent proposals to overcome the crisis.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly received members of the Board of Trustees of the National Dialogue, stressing the importance of the general and specialized sessions held within the framework of the National Dialogue in mapping the priorities of national action during the next stage.
Madbouly announced that a working group was formed from the Technical Office of the Prime Minister and the Information and Decision Support Center of the government’s presidency to follow up with relevant ministries on implementing these outputs.
About two years ago, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi called for a “National Dialogue” that includes all political forces, except the banned Muslim Brotherhood, to discuss the state’s priorities.
The recommendations of the first round of the National Dialogue, held in May last year, were submitted to the President.
