Government of Timor-Leste

The Government, through the Budgetary Political Review Committee (known by the Portuguese acronym CROP), starts today, September 21^st, 2020, the analysis of the programs and budget proposals from the ministries and autonomous agencies, in order to prepare the 2021 Proposal for General State Budget Law (GSB) draft, to be submitted to the National Parliament by October 15^th.

CROP is responsible for verifying the budget submissions’ strategic allocation of resources, to achieve the commitments and objectives set out in the strategic documents and to analyse the capacity to execute plans for the 2021 financial year.

As defined at the September 18^th Council of Ministers’ meeting, CROP is chaired by the Prime Minister and is also composed of the Vice Prime Ministers, the Coordinating Minister of Economic Affairs, the Minister of Finance and the Secretary of State for Equality and Inclusion, as an observer.

CROP is divided into four sectoral Subcommittees, the Institutional Sector Subcommittee, chaired by the Prime Minister, the Social Sector Subcommittee, chaired by the Vice Prime Minister and Minister for Social Solidarity and Inclusion, the Infrastructure Sector Subcommittee, chaired by the Vice Prime Minister and Minister for Planning and Territory, and the Economic Sector Subcommittee, chaired by the Coordinating Minister of Economic Affairs.

On the September 21^st, 22^nd, 26^th and 28^th, the Subcommittees will analyse the sectoral budget submissions simultaneously, so that on September 29^th the conclusions of all sectors could be analysed by the Budgetary Political Review Committee, chaired by the Prime Minister.

The aggregate ceiling of US $ 1.6 billion for the 2021 GSB, approved at the September 2^nd, 2020 Council of Ministers’ meeting, according to the analysis to be carried out by CROP, may undergo adjustments to cover all the needs of the program and all relevant activities of the ministries and State institutions for the 2021 year. The final version of the 2021 GSB Law Proposal draft will, then, be submitted to the approval of the Council of Ministers, to be submitted to the National Parliament by October 15^th.

The GSB 2020 proposal is also in preparation, with the individual or joint hearings by all Permanent Specialized Committees of the National Parliament, for the analysis of the 2020 GSB Law Proposal draft, submitted by the Government on September 15^th. These hearings will begin this week, from September 23^rd to 25^th. The 2020 GSB will be debated in general from October 1^st to 2^nd 2020, and in the speciality from October 5^th to 8^th 2020, and the final wording should be delivered to the President of the Republic on October 9^th.