NTP CEO: ‘National Transformation’ Makes Big Strides in Legislative Development in Saudi Arabia

CEO of the National Transformation Program (NTP) Thamir Al-Sadoun. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
CEO of the National Transformation Program (NTP) Thamir Al-Sadoun. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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NTP CEO: ‘National Transformation’ Makes Big Strides in Legislative Development in Saudi Arabia

CEO of the National Transformation Program (NTP) Thamir Al-Sadoun. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
CEO of the National Transformation Program (NTP) Thamir Al-Sadoun. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

CEO of the National Transformation Program (NTP) Thamir Al-Sadoun confirmed that the Kingdom is on track to achieve some of the Program’s goals before the turn of this decade.

“The National Transformation Program has achieved numerous milestones, with figures attesting to its success,” said Al-Sadoun in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat.

The program is a cornerstone of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030.

Reviewing figures, Al-Sadoun stressed that foreign investment licenses shot up by over 96% last year compared to 2022.

“More than 200 licenses were issued for international company regional centers,” he revealed.

As for the legal sector, the NTP focused on activating digital transformation in judicial services, and succeeded in raising the percentage of services provided electronically.

He noted that the Kingdom’s “Najiz platform offers over 160 judicial services, saving 65 million visits and conserving 90 million sheets of paper annually.”

Regarding the environment, Al-Sadoun said: “Over 192,000 hectares of vegetation cover have been restored in the Kingdom, increasing protected area coverage to 18.8% of the total area, up from 4.3% in 2016.”

On water systems, the “Saudi Saline Water Conversion Corporation’s desalinated water production capacity reached an unprecedented 11.5 million cubic meters per day, a global record,” according to Al-Sadoun.

Concerning food security, Al-Sadoun said: “The Kingdom now has the largest grain storage capacity in the Middle East, increasing from 2.5 million tons in 2016 to 3.5 million tons.”

With regard to the Kingdom’s digital experience, he revealed that “5G services have been extended to 97 provinces across the Kingdom, with over 6,000 government services now offered electronically.”

Al-Sadoun added that up-to-date achievements and more are detailed in NTP’s annual report, which is available online.

The CEO noted challenges in updating laws but mentioned significant progress with new regulations for business, disability rights, and the environment.

“The Kingdom’s leaders and the NTP’s committee, made up of 12 members including ministers and officials, provide unwavering support to Vision realization programs,” affirmed Al-Sadoun.

“This strong support has kept us moving forward during this ambitious journey, even during the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he asserted.

“For instance, one challenge we faced was improving the legal framework to meet our goals and adopt best practices.”

“We've made significant progress by introducing laws like the Disability Rights Law, ensuring the rights of people with disabilities and promoting their inclusion in society.”

“We've also implemented laws like the Occupational Safety and Health Law and the Wage Protection System to improve working conditions for everyone,” added Al-Sadoun.

“Several other regulations and laws are also helping us achieve our targets for 2030,” he revealed.

With the Kingdom making real progress in global indicators, he highlighted how these achievements reflect Saudi Arabia’s future ambitions regarding its global standing and competitiveness.

“The Kingdom has made impressive strides in international indicators, thanks to the dedicated efforts of the NTP,” he reiterated.

“Saudi Arabia’s rise to 17th place globally and 3rd among G20 nations in the Global Competitiveness Report highlights the Kingdom’s major economic reforms aimed at boosting the private sector and attracting investments,” explained Al-Sadoun.

As for what’s next for the NTP, Al-Sadoun said: “We remain committed to achieving our goals and targets, launching initiatives with tangible impact.”

“This impact is realized by the sons and daughters of this nation, and we will continue working with all stakeholders within the framework of the NTP to realize Vision 2030 and beyond,” he added.



EU Sees €28 Billion Hit from Trump’s Steel, Aluminum Tariffs

FILED - 12 July 2020, Lower Saxony, Salzgitter: An employee walks along coiled steel at Salzgitter AG. Photo: Julian Stratenschulte/dpa
FILED - 12 July 2020, Lower Saxony, Salzgitter: An employee walks along coiled steel at Salzgitter AG. Photo: Julian Stratenschulte/dpa
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EU Sees €28 Billion Hit from Trump’s Steel, Aluminum Tariffs

FILED - 12 July 2020, Lower Saxony, Salzgitter: An employee walks along coiled steel at Salzgitter AG. Photo: Julian Stratenschulte/dpa
FILED - 12 July 2020, Lower Saxony, Salzgitter: An employee walks along coiled steel at Salzgitter AG. Photo: Julian Stratenschulte/dpa

The European Union estimates that the first wave of Donald Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs will hit as much as €28 billion ($29.3 billion) of the bloc’s exports in what would be a massive escalation in the US president’s trade war, Bloomberg reported.

The amount of goods — which the EU assesses will include derivative products as well — would be about four times larger than the last time Trump targeted the bloc’s metals sector, according to people familiar with the EU’s thinking.

EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic debriefed the bloc’s ambassadors on Friday after his visit to Washington to meet with his US counterparts. He cautioned that the situation is in flux and the details and the scope of any tariffs could still change, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

As part of his effort to rewrite global trade rules, Trump announced a series of duties including 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum exports that could take effect as soon as March 12. He’s also announced reciprocal tariffs based on policies of partners that are seen as obstacles to US trade.

The European Commission, which has authority over EU trade actions, declined to comment.

For the EU, the fight over American metals tariffs started in 2018 during Trump’s first term, when the US hit nearly $7 billion of European steel and aluminum exports with duties, citing national security concerns. At the time, officials in Brussels scoffed at the notion that the EU posed such a threat.

In that first salvo, the US hit steel goods with 25% tariffs and aluminum with 10%, and included exemptions for certain products. Bloomberg reported earlier that this time around, no exemptions were planned.

The 27-nation bloc retaliated by targeting politically sensitive companies with retaliatory duties, including Harley-Davidson Inc. motorcycles and Levi Strauss & Co. jeans. The measures were applied product-by-product and included agricultural goods and apparel in addition to steel and aluminum products.

The two sides agreed to a temporary truce in 2021, when the US partly removed its measures and introduced a set of tariff-rate quotas above which duties on the metals are applied, while the EU froze all of its restrictive measures.

The EU has said that it would respond quickly and proportionally to US tariffs and could reactivate as a first step the lists previously suspended. The commission has been preparing various lists with different sectors and goods targeted with the principle of causing more harm on the American side, including in sensitive constituencies, Bloomberg previously reported.

The commission has said that unfreezing the suspended tariffs, which are on pause until the end of March, could be done quickly.

Sefcovic, who met with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Jamieson Greer, his pick for US trade representative and National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett this past week, told EU envoys that the atmosphere was positive but no negotiations were conducted yet, said the people.

According to Bloomberg, Sefcovic said he used the meeting as a first point of contact to open the channels of communication and to try to debunk claims by the Americans that he said were false, including that Europe’s value added tax is unfair to the US, they said.

In order to avoid a trade clash, Sefcovic offered to his American counterparts a deal to lower tariffs on industrial goods, including cars, one of Trump’s longstanding demands.