PM chairs advisory council meeting on economic recovery plan

AMMAN — Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Omar Razzaz on Monday chaired a meeting of the Economic Policy Advisory Council to discuss efforts that are underway to formulate a comprehensive long- and medium-term economic recovery plan to address the fallout from the COVID-19 crisis.

The meeting, held by the council for the second time since its establishment in mid-April, looked into immediate economic priorities, including shoring up the sectors that were hard-hit by the crisis and the ensuing weeks-long lockdown, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

While hailing the council as “the fruit of public-private partnership”, the prime minister said it is mainly designed to bail the national economy out of the repercussions of the pandemic and leverage current opportunities to boost economic resilience.

Over the course of the next week, the council will look into the private sector's proposals on areas of economic activity where focus should be placed, Razzaz indicated, adding that the body will introduce a matrix of measures that include priorities for the next stage.

Chairman of the council Mustafa Hamarneh said the economic ramifications of the pandemic are substantial and will most likely trigger a global recession, against which Jordan will not be immune, which requires sustaining key economic sectors.