The Joint Economic Committee between the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry held its forty-fourth meeting at the Ministry's headquarters, chaired by HE Mr. Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Commerce, and HE Mr. Sameer Nass, BCCI Chairman, in the presence of a number of officials and members of the Joint Economic Committee from both sides.

The Minister affirmed the Kingdom of Bahrain’s keenness to support the commercial and economic sectors in light of the comprehensive development process guided by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and followed-up by HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister.

His Excellency highlighted the prominent role played by private sector in supporting the GDP, noting that the BCCI is a key partner in adopting projects and initiatives that reflect positively on supporting the national economy, and stressing the importance of enhancing cooperation to achieve common aspirations.

For his part, BCCI Chairman Sameer Nass pointed to the positive impact of these joint meetings on enhancing economic work, noting that the private sector is a key contributor to the kingdom’s economic growth, and stressing that the Chamber, as a representative of the private sector, will spare no effort in strengthening the national economy in light of global economic developments, finally expressing his appreciation for the Ministry’s efforts to support the private sector.

H.E. Mr. Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Commerce and Chairman of the National Committee for Standardization and Metrology, chaired the fifty-eighth meeting of the National Committee for Standardization and Metrology, in the presence of a number of officials at the Ministry and members of the Committee representing the public and private sectors.

The meeting reviewed a number of topics that included the approval of the adoption of 965 optional standard specifications and 116 technical regulations, and the withdrawal of a standard specification and a Gulf technical regulation at the national level, after competent local technical committees of the National Committee for Standardization and Metrology completed the study of these projects and ensured their suitability for application in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and notifying the World Trade Organization in order to meet the requirements of the Agreement on the Removal of Technical Barriers to Trade of the Organization. Global trade.

The meeting also reviewed the mechanism for issuing universal identification codes (WMI) for automotive manufacturers followed by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), and the Inspection and Metrology Directorate was appointed as a reference point of contact in the Kingdom of Bahrain to coordinate the registration of identification codes for local manufacturers within the international system of the Association.

HE Mr. Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Commerce, affirmed the government’s commitment to supporting and developing the industrial sector as a major contributor to the kingdom’s national economy.

This came during an inspection tour conducted by His Excellency to a number of factories in Bahrain Industrial Area in Sitra, in the presence of a number of officials, as part of the ministry's efforts to follow up on all developments in the industrial sector and identify its requirements and future plans.

The Minister referred to the Industrial Sector Strategy 2022-2026, which revolves around increasing the industrial sector’s contribution to the GDP, and increasing exports of national origin, while providing promising job opportunities for citizens. Noting that the strategy is based on supporting the sector's transformation towards the Fourth Industrial Revolution, applying the concept of a circular carbon economy and environmental and social governance, encouraging investment in technological infrastructure, digitizing manufacturing, and increasing the efficiency of supply chains through integration of Gulf industries.

Sayed Junaid Alam W.L.L. specializes in the manufacture of soap, detergents, cleaning and polishing preparations, perfumes and cosmetics, while Wires International Co WL.L., works in the manufacture of other formed metal products. His Excellency was briefed on the current situation in the factories, and reviewed the production processes and services they provide.

The Consumer Protection Directorate at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce announced the signing of 3 service level agreements between the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and the commercial sector cooperating in receiving and addressing consumer complaints from citizens and residents in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Shaikh Hamad binSalman Al Khalifa,Assistant Undersecretary for Domesticand ForeignTrade at the Ministry, confirmed that the signing of these agreementsis a part of the operational anddevelopment plan of the Consumer Protection Directorate,and follows the signing of 3 MoUs lastyear withLulu Hypermarket, Talabat, and Extra, which expanded this year to include: Ramez, Jahezand JustClean InternetServices.

The Assistant Undersecretaryfor Domesticand ForeignTrade addedthat the Consumer ProtectionDirectorate at the Ministry alwaysseeks toimprove the levelof performanceprovided to consumersto enhance the quality andefficiency of servicesby harnessingmodern technologies, and utilizing partnership with the commercial sector,as theagreement includes termsand conditionsunder which the two signatory partieswill provideservices to consumers,by settingthe foundationsand frameworkfor providinghigh-quality services inaccordance with LawNo. (35)of 2012on consumerprotection and itsexecutive regulations.

Moreover, he noted that this step aims to obtain a mutual agreement between the government sector and the commercial sector to ensure the provision of distinguished services to consumers by directing, resolving and addressing complaints received before the expiry of the period specified in the service level agreement, while defining responsibilities, duties and obligations of both parties, in addition to achieving common goals and enhancing mutual trust.

The Assistant Undersecretary also expressed his appreciation to all the shops that signed and cooperated with the Consumer Protection Directorate over the past years in resolving and addressing consumer complaints.

Within the framework of the official visit to Washington, a signing ceremony was held this morning on an agreement of understanding and cooperation on applying the fast-track system for technical examination of patents (PPH) with the US Patent Office. In the presence of H.E. Mr. Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Commerce, to represent the Bahraini side, and H.E. Kathy Vidal, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the Patent and Trademark Office, to represent the American side.

The Minister valued this step which drives the Kingdom of Bahrain towards further development of the patents and intellectual property sector, emphasizing Bahrain's position in preserving and protecting all types of intellectual property and patent rights, which in turn contributes to increasing the flow of investments.

The agreement comes as part of the work plan to develop the regulatory and procedural framework related to the registration of intellectual property and patents in cooperation with the Prime Minister Office, the agreement will enable:  Accelerating of technical examination procedures of patent applications, enhancing cooperation in the fields of patents with the US Patent Office, facilitating exchange of information on the latest findings of both sides regarding patent applications filed with the Bahrain Patent Office, exchanging best practices and experiences in the field of managing patent offices and procedures for examination and grants, raising the quality of the reports of the Bahraini National Office, and preventing conflicts in technical results with major international patent offices, and promoting the Kingdom's global position as a country that preserves and protects all types of intellectual property rights including patent rights, in addition to increasing revenues related to filing patent applications and examining them technically.

The fast-track system for technical examination of patents, which supports the applicant approved by international patent offices, including the US Patent Office, to speed up the procedures for granting patents in the Kingdom of Bahrain based on the examination reports issued by the five major international government offices proposed to be contracted bilaterally, and through this agreement, the Kingdom of Bahrain aspires to enhance cooperation between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the US Patent Office in order to build a knowledge-based economy based on creativity and innovation. The system also aims to provide an attractive environment for regional and international investments, in addition to enabling the examination of patent applications filed with the Bahrain Patent Office, especially in cases where a specialized patent examiner is not available.

The system ensures that patent applications are processed efficiently and effectively, ultimately positioning Bahrain as a hub for technological progress and intellectual property development, fostering an ecosystem that fosters innovation.

Within the framework of the official visit to the United States of America, the H.E. Mr. Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro Minister of Industry and Commerce, participated in the roundtable of the National Council on US-Arab Relations to discuss economic developments and future investment opportunities between the two sides, in the presence of a number of senior officials from both sides.

During the session, HE the Minister stressed the government’s keenness to strengthen and consolidate bilateral relations with the United States of America as a strategic partner by increasing investment opportunities and seizing new and diversified economic projects for both sides, and achieving the positive expected results of the free trade agreement between the two countries.

They also reviewed the latest developments and efforts made by the Kingdom of Bahrain to enhance trade cooperation with the United States of America and create more rapprochement between the Bahraini business community and the American business community to achieve common goals.

In addition to issues related to trade relations between and ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation to serve common strategic and development directions and visions.

As part of his official visit to the United States of America, H.E. Mr.  Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro Minister of Industry and Commerce participated in the roundtable discussions hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce. The discussions aimed to enhance cooperation in the fields of trade, investment and industry and highlight the promising investment opportunities between the two countries. The discussions were attended by Khush Choksy, Vice President of the American Chamber of Commerce for the Middle East and Turkey, and a number of senior officials from both sides.

The discussions reviewed the latest developments in trade, investment and industrial relations between the two countries, and ways to enhance them. The Minister of Industry and Commerce stressed that this meeting embodies the close relations between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the United States of America, and the commitment of the two countries to strengthen trade and economic cooperation. Noting the keenness of the Kingdom of Bahrain to consolidate the strategic partnership with the United States of America and strengthen their long-term partnership. His Excellency praised the role of constructive dialogues with stakeholders in the business communities of the two countries in supporting this strategic partnership and exploring new opportunities for cooperation.

In addition to many topics and developments related to bilateral projects.

H.E. Mr. Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro Minister of Industry and Commerce headed the delegation of the Kingdom of Bahrain participating in the meeting of the Bahraini-US Joint Committee for the Free Trade Agreement between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the United States of America, in the presence of Assistant United States Trade Representative for Europe and the Middle Mr. Bryant Trick to represent the American side, and with the participation of a number of senior officials from both countries in Washington, DC.

His Excellency praised the depth of the historical US-Bahraini relations, stressing the importance of the comprehensive joint agreement for security integration and prosperity, which was signed last September in the presence of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and His Highness Lieutenant General Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, National Security Advisor and Commander of the Royal Guard, and Antony J. Blinken, the US Secretary OF State. Noting that this comprehensive agreement embodies the strength of the strategic partnership between the two countries and the commitment to enhance joint cooperation in several fields, including emerging technology, trade and investment.

The Minister elaborated that the comprehensive agreement builds on the broad prospects for investment and economic cooperation of the US-Bahrain FTA, which was signed twenty years ago, and still represents the cornerstone for encouraging investments and bilateral trade and creating an appropriate climate for economic cooperation and new spaces for the trade, business, and investment sectors.

The Minister also stressed the Kingdom of Bahrain's constant keenness to continue building a sustainable economy on the basis of transparency, sustainability and competitiveness, and to push the role of the private sector in optimizing various investment opportunities and mutual experiences to open new markets and stimulate qualitative investments in various sectors to promote sustainable economic growth.