Lebanese MP Tony Frangieh, Head of the Parliamentary Information Technology Committee, confirmed that “for the first time since 2018, we now have implementing decrees attached to the electronic signature law, despite the fact that the world of technology requires us to issue laws and amendments to them periodically.”
He added after the session of the Information Technology Committee was held in the Lebanese House of Representatives, which was attended by the Minister of Justice in the caretaker government, Henry Khoury, and members of the committee, MPs Elias Hankash, Nicolas Sehnaoui, Yanal Solh, Saeed Al-Asmar, and Razi Al-Hajj, in addition to representatives of the Ministry of Justice, Ali Jaber and Charbel Freiha, and a representative of the Ministry of Administrative Development. Ali Berro.
“Unfortunately, most of the decrees related to the digital transformation laws have not been completed, and today the decrees related to the electronic signature law have been completed, allowing it to be adopted soon in Lebanese official circles,” Frangieh said.
He continued: “The decree related to electronic signature was completed by the Ministry of Justice and Minister Khoury, who informed us that the decree had been sent to the Council of Ministers so that it could be approved as soon as possible”.
“Therefore, we congratulate all the Lebanese and thank the Minister of Justice for his cooperation with us, as we were able to complete this file together. Thanks also go to the experts who worked on preparing the decrees, most of whom are volunteers.”
“On this occasion, we must also thank the Ministries of Administrative Development and Industry and MP Melhem Khalaf, who followed this file, with the hope that the decree will be approved in the Council of Ministers session next Friday,” Frangieh advised.
He concluded by saying: “We will soon submit new recommendations to the Ministry of Justice related to the personal data that we request to establish a mechanism for classifying it so that we can get out of the dialectic about the spatial framework for storing it and the method that must be followed.”
Minister of Justice
In turn, Minister of Justice Henry Khoury thanked MP Tony Franjieh and the Information Technology Committee for their work within the framework of implementing the electronic signature law, which will lead at some stage to eradicating digital illiteracy in Lebanon, and this is what Lebanon has been looking forward to for a long time.
Khoury also thanked “the experts who worked to complete the decrees, in addition to the Ministries of Administrative Development and Industry for their efforts.”
He also said: “All thanks to the World Bank, which played an important role in preparing the draft decree, and we ask it to help us approve it and install it in various public administrations.”
He concluded with the hope that “the decree will be approved by the Council of Ministers soon,” noting that “caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, after approving the decree, will launch the step of determining its implementation minutes.”
MP Elias Hankash
Rapporteur of the Information Technology Committee, MP Elias Hankash, pointed out that “the electronic signature law, the decrees of which were completed today, was worked on in previous periods and with a number of former chairs of the Information Technology Committee, especially MPs Nadim Gemayel, Samer Saadeh, and Nicolas Sehnaoui.”
Hankash praised “the performance of Representative Frangieh, who, since taking over the committee’s duties, has put the policy out there and worked with everyone to make possible projects successful.”
He said: “Implementing the electronic signature in Lebanon will reduce the rates of bribery and corruption and will contribute to accelerating the completion of citizens’ transactions.”