Tammuz Organization holds its conference on legislating the oil and gas law in Iraq
Tammuz Organization for Social development in cooperation with Friedrich Ebert Foundation held its conference about the legislation oil & gas law in Iraq on 15th Feb.2015 in Ishtar Hotel in Baghdad. The conference showed the summary of recommendations and observations that result from discussion of the legislation of oil & gas law through the discussion workshops, which have already set up by organization in five governorates (Baghdad, Erbil, Basra, Dhi Qar and Maysan).
The conference was attended by elite of specialists and academics in the field of law, oil, economy and politics, and representatives from the local government as well as the number of representatives of trade unions and civil society organizations, and the participation a number of participants in the workshops, which was held in the provinces.
The conference began with an introduction from the Tammuz Organization to explain the project, its activities and next steps after this conference, and then offers the legal professor Zuhair Dhia al-Din conference paper which included the main observations and recommendations resulted from the discussion workshops that discussed projects the oil and gas law for the years 2007 and 2011.
Among the most prominent recommendations that contained in the conference paper:
1. Adoption the subject of the development of manufacturing within the objectives of the law, and provide the required capabilities
2. Issued instructions to fix the cooperation among concerned ministries
3. Giving an appreciable role to the representative of province in the Federal Council of oil and not make it a formality
4. Adoption of licensing of the service contracts included some modifications such as determining the rate, type and standards, to be based on the principle of full transparency
5. Unify of the marketing companies of Oil
6. Collect oil revenues within a single national account
7. Select workers in the oil fields of the province itself
8. Expand the provinces powers in line with of the governorates law rulings that irregular with regional
The debate has opened through interventions and observations about the contents of the conference paper that are intervention most of participants where they full the paper with the value views, which will be adopt in the continuation with the responsible bodies.
The most prominent observations and recommendations that mentioned in the debate are following:
1. The importance of the legislation of oil law because of its political significance, which may outpace the economic and administrative significance
2. The lack of sufficient political desire to enact the law by the political parties led to its delay
3. The importance of priorities setting in the paper to include the constitutional articles as article 112
4. Emphasis on the legality of service contracts with the importance of it’s modified and included it in materials pertaining to social benefits.
5. The importance of completed legal legislations such as law of oil revenues fund and law to regular of the financial management
6. Emphasis that the oil is property for all Iraqis equally and the necessary to ensure in law
7. Ensure to operate of the local laborers at the national level
8. The need to real evaluation of contracts that have been acted upon in the previous period such as partnership and licensing contracts, and demonstrate which is better for country.
9. Clarify the roles and voting mechanisms inside the Federal Council of oil that provided by the draft law
10. Take in consideration the current reality and dealing as the contracts, capabilities and existence potential that were worked according to it during these years when the legislation of law either in the region or center
11. Adopting the transparence principle as the basis provided by the law with respect to the announcement of oil contracts.
At the conclusion of the conference, it has been announced the observations and opinions that presented and have been adopted and endorsed by the participants. Also a number of the media, newspaper and radio stations were attended to the conference.
It was mentioned that Tammuz Organization for Social Development had previously carried out the similar projects in the strengthening the legal system such as discussion it and seeking to legislate laws: work, parties, social security, elections, civil society organizations and other laws that will be discussed by stakeholders and cured to follow the progress of legislation it.
Media Office
Tammuz Organization for Social Development
16th.Feb, 2015
