His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday chaired a meeting to discuss the government’s action plan to attract investments and develop the business environment.

During the meeting, held at Al Husseiniya Palace and attended by Prime Minister Hani Mulki and representatives of a number of sectors that generate jobs and contribute to economic growth, King Abdullah said work to improve the business environment cannot continue to be two steps forward and one step back.

His Majesty urged all institutions concerned with the business sector to work in harmony to provide the best services, stressing the need to boost public-private sector cooperation through continuous institutionalised dialogue to address the challenges facing the private sector without delay.

The King said that a solid basis for cooperation will be established between the public and private sectors to improve economic performance.

His Majesty added that attempts at any level to hamper plans to stimulate economic growth and investment will not be tolerated.

When promoting Jordan abroad, the King stressed that he must be assured that administrative apparatuses at the various institutions are fully capable of working efficiently and providing exemplary services to investors.

The meeting also covered measures agreed upon to develop the business environment, concerning the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM), the Jordan Customs Department, the Income and Sales Tax Department and the Investment Commission.

The King stressed the need to overhaul government procedures to streamline them and mitigate the burden on citizens and investors, noting that there will be close follow-up to ensure the implementation of the measures agreed upon.

For his part, Mulki said the government will work to remove obstacles facing the business sector in the Kingdom.

He instructed the labour minister to issue special instructions to allow for hiring non-Jordanians with the experience needed by companies to develop and expand their businesses, paving the way for employing more Jordanians.

Mulki also highlighted the government’s recent decision to provide 10 main services only electronically as of 1 January 2018.

For their part, the business leaders attending the meeting noted that the slow decision-making process leads to losing investment opportunities.

They called for regularly updating Jordanian standards to keep up with international developments, enhancing the efficiency of public administration to provide quality services to citizens and the private sector, and boosting cooperation between the Jordan Standards and Metrology Organisation and the private sector.

The also advised against taking government decisions that would have an impact on economic fields without giving the concerned sectors time to adapt before the decisions come into force.

The business leaders thanked the government for seeking to cooperate with the private sector and upgrade institutional performance, stressing the need to closely follow up on the implementation of what has been agreed on.

Royal Hashemite Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, Director of the Office of His Majesty Jafar Hassan, Labour Minister Ali Ghezawi, Finance Minister Omar Malhas, Minister of Industry, Trade, and Supply Yarub Qudah, and the head of GAM’s committee, Yousef Shawarbeh, also attended the meeting.