MPs approved bills on tourism, development finance, and fresh oil exploration yesterday, while various committees of the House were busy with everything from carbon trading to a bid to tighten controls on Netflix and other streamers.

#1- MPs approved the remaining articles of a draft tourism bill that would strip the power to form and regulate tourism chambers from the tourism minister and place it in the hands of the Egyptian Tourism Federation (ETF). The 72-article bill aims to make tourism chambers more democratic and independent and reinforce their role in promoting the industry. The bill as a whole, which the House approved in principle last month, is still pending a final vote in the House.

Private sector front and center: “The most important objective of this bill is that it will strike a balance between the Tourism Ministry as a regulator and the private sector as the main player,” Tourism Minister Ahmed Issa said yesterday. The government wants to see the private sector build “at least” 290k new hotel rooms, improve the quality of services and entertainment for tourists, and put on low-cost flights, Issa told the Senate last month.

#2- Alexandria metro money from the AFD: The House also approved an EUR 250 mn loan from the French Development Agency (AFD) to upgrade the Alexandria-Abu Qir metro line. The EUR 1.6 bn project is also being financed by the European Investment Bank (EUR 750 mn), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EUR 250 mn), and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

#3-More gas exploration: The House greenlit seven bills that will allow the Oil Minister to contract companies for oil and gas explorations. One bill paves the way for state-owned EGAS and Cheiron Egypt to explore for oil and gas west of the Burullus offshore gas field in the Mediterranean, while the remaining six bills will allow the oil minister to contract the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) and six foreign companies to explore for oil in the Western Desert.

FROM THE HOUSE COMMITTEES-

#1- One step closer to a local carbon trading scheme: The House Economic Affairs Committee gave preliminary approval to amendments to the Capital Markets Law that would allow for the trading of carbon certificates on the Egyptian bourse, Al Mal reports. The FRA late last year said it was drafting the amendments ahead of EGX plans to launch Africa’s first voluntary carbon market in mid-2023.

#2- Streaming platforms v. social values: The Supreme Council for Media Regulation (SCMR) is “in the process of drafting ethical, religious and legal criterion that would regulate the performance of [streaming] platforms to make sure they observe religious and moral values and that they are not involved in spreading extremist or atheist thoughts,” SCMR head Karam Gabr told the House Human Rights Committee.

Netflix + friends have already been warned: In September, the SCMR issued new regulations and licenses for online streaming platforms that require them to ensure their content “adhere to social values and morals,” singling out Netflix and Disney+. The council is also looking at legislation that would stop social media platforms from spreading “destructive ideas.”

AND- No risqué Ramadan ads: The SCMR is also drafting rules that will regulate the content of TV advertisements during Ramadan, Gabr said. “We will make sure that children and women will not be used in an undignified or a dishonorable way in TV advertisements during Ramadan,” he said, warning that channels that violate the rules could see their licenses revoked.

#3- An overpopulation conference in the making? The 12 parliamentary committees focused on population will hold a conference “in the near future” to discuss Egypt’s overpopulation crisis and attempt to find a solution.