Lebanese Republic 
Reform is no longer measured by enacting laws, but instead by the activation and implementation mechanisms
Reform is no longer measured by enacting laws, but instead by the activation and implementation mechanisms
From the national workshop in the Grand Serail
Minister Bisat: “Reform is no longer measured by enacting laws, but instead by the activation and implementation mechanisms”
Ministry of Economy and Trade and the Lebanese Foundation for Permanent Civil Peace (LFPCP) organized a national workshop on activating Lebanon’ Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and mechanisms of reforming Lebanon's pension and social protection systems, on Monday February 16th, 2026 at the Grand Serail. The event was attended by number of ambassadors, ministers, members of parliament and representatives of concerned institutions and organizations in addition to experts, judges and specialists.
Minister of Economy and Trade, Dr. Amer Bisat highlighted in his speech that the focus has shifted after organizing the first workshop from conceptual framework and overall vision to a critical and sensitive stage: the operational and activation mechanisms. Reforms in Lebanon are no longer measured by enacting laws only but also by our capacity to transform them into effective, coordinated and feasible systems”.
He added: “in our capacity as the Ministry in charge of this matter, we consider that the next stage requires transition from existing laws and regulatory bodies to building an integrated economic system”.
Minister Bisat affirmed that “the challenge is no longer theoretical but rather became executive one, pointing out to the efforts exerted to develop the special economic zone in Tripoli. He explained that the main files include “developing the organizational and operational framework and the governance model, “launching of the Project Activation process”, “creating a one-stop-shop service to expedite licensing”, “signing services agreements with Electricte du Liban, customs, telecommunications and security”, “developing the public-private partnership framework and setting terms of reference and related procurement mechanisms”.
Bisat also stated: “these are not only technical details but crucial elements to regain the investor’ confidence”; stressing that “providing the Government and Parliament’ administrative, legislative and financial support remains a prerequisite to shift from planning to execution. He added that the special economic zones “are viewed as strategic tools to stimulate national production sectors, enhance exports and attract quality investments, rather than being considered as isolated islands”.
Minister Bisat emphasized the importance of ministerial coordination, stating that “the activation mechanism should include a clear coordination structure that determines: the decision maker, the deadline, the key performance indicators (KPIs) and the follow-up and accountability mechanism”.
On pension reform, the Minister noted: “the discussion must extend beyond general principles to address core issues such as adequacy, portability of benefits and enrolling in social pension; adding that establishing a clear and sustainable social security system is necessary to attract long-term investment”.
To conclude, Minister Bisat said: “The Ministry is committed to moving forward with the institutional implementation of special economic zones toward the full-scale institutional implementation phase, with the cooperation of all concerned ministries and bodies”; hoping “to produce a clear actionable framework from this workshop that turns into practical steps in the coming period”.
