The House of Representatives was busy yesterday pushing through new bills, granting final and committee-level nods to others and signing off on tweaks to some existing laws. Among the acts that made it through parliament:

Customs incentives for EV + clean energy firms: A change to customs rules that make it easier for EV firms to qualify for customs breaks won approval from the House general assembly. Under the changes, which President Abdel Fattah El Sisi called for in September, importers only need to source 10% of their components from local suppliers to qualify for the tax break, down from 30% previously.

The energy shift: The change — which applies to companies involved in setting up EV charging or natural gas refueling stations, inputs brought in to outfit cars with dual-fuel, electric, or natural gas engines, or parts used to set up renewable energy plants — is designed to encourage domestic industry to shift towards producing technology that harnesses more sustainable forms of energy. The push toward electric vehicles seems to have gained momentum recently with the signing of agreements to assemble electric vehicles and install charging stations, while 2021 has seen the launch of the government’s multi-year plan to convert mns of vehicles to run on natural gas.

Overseas funding gets a rubber stamp: The House approved amendments to the Egypt-US Investment Development Agreement, unlocking an additional USD 26.6 mn to help facilitate local trade and investment. It also signed off on raft of financing agreements from international institutions, including a JPY 1 bn (USD 9.55 mn) grant from the Japanese government to fund economic and social development programs, a technical assistance grant worth EUR 3 mn from the European Bank of Reconstruction & Development to modernize Cairo Metro Line 1, and EUR 200k from the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation for women’s empowerment in the tourism sector.