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Press Release
Meeting of the Council of Ministers of February 27, 2019
The Council of Ministers met in the Government Palace in Dili and approved the proposal for a Government Decree presented by the Acting Minister of Finance, Sara Lobo Brites, on the implementation of the General State Budget (OGE) for 2019. This diploma sets out the rules and procedures for implementation, monitoring and reporting applicable to the State Budget for 2019, which are essential for a rigorous and adequate monitoring of budget execution, as a decisive instrument for the full compliance with the principles and guidelines established by the 2019 State Budget.
The Council of Ministers approved a proposed Decree-Law that regulates the legal regime of onshore oil operations, presented by the National Petroleum and Minerals Authority of Timor-Leste (ANPM). The approved Decree-Law establishes a special legal regime for the exploration and production of oil (upstream) in Timor-Leste’s onshore zone, pursuant to article 31 of the Petroleum Activities Law and considering the importance of this Decree-Law to promote the right of economic agents or consumers and users of goods and services of the petroleum industry and to ensure that onshore oil operations are carried out with minimum harm to the environment, giving priority to obligations of health and safety, and consistent with industry best practices.
Finally, the Government analysed a proposal by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Works to amend the Subsidiary Agreement with the Government of Australia for Roads for Development (R4D) Phase II . This program of the Government of Timor-Leste, begun in 2012, has the technical support of the Government of Australia and the International Labour Organization (ILO) and aims to provide social and economic benefits to rural populations through management and improvement of the conditions of the national rural road network. Under this project, 552km of roads were rehabilitated, laboratories were set up for soil testing in several municipalities and actions were taken to develop the capacity of the private and public sector for the management, rehabilitation and construction of roads. During the second phase, this program aims to support the establishment of an Interministerial Road Forum, the development of the Rural Roads Policy and the implementation of a standard system of design and construction of rural roads to ensure their quality.The proposed amendment to the Subsidiary Agreement for Phase II of the “Roads for Development” program will be re-examined at the next meeting.* ENDS
* Due to an error in the statement published and distributed on February 27,this proposal was announced as having been approved. This correct version of the Press Release of the Council of Ministers Meeting of February 27, 2019 should be considered.