H.E Inaya Ezzedine announces from a workshop in cooperation with the General Secretariat of the House of Representatives: the new law is a positive development, but was not based on a strategy and did not fill gaps, it is only the beginning

The Minister of State for Administrative Reform (OMSAR) H.E Inaya Ezzedine confirmed that the adoption of the law for the treatment of waste in Lebanon is considered as a positive development because it is the first time in the Lebanese history that such a law has been adopted, speaking during the opening of a workshop about the law in the House of Representatives on 27 September 2018. Ezzedine called for focused efforts during the coming phase on the possible alterations and on the applicable decrees to adjust the sector’s management and to overcome any risks and challenges. H.E also re-iterated that the issue of solid waste had become a national crisis that requires the declaration of a state of emergency to reduce its impact on citizens’ health and on the environment, as well as preserving the integrity of the state of Lebanon. Ezzedine made further observations about the law, the most important of which is that the law suffers from issues related to basic definitions, and that its principles do not reflect a commitment to sustainability and sustainable development. H.E Ezzedine highlighted that the law has left an open door to the option of incineration and that there was a clear lack of transparency in the draft text. Four technical talks by European Environmental experts were also presented during the workshop. These explained the best technologies and legislative system that had been adopted across the world, providing experiences from the Netherland, Austria, Germany and United Kingdom. The experts emphasized the importance of resource efficiency as a guideline and the need for clear objectives as a minimum requirement for successful legislation. Finally, the experts expressed their concern regarding the main problems related to the law that was recently approved in Lebanon. They also indicated the need for improvements and modifications through expected secondary legislation.

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