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What steps should Lebanon take to join the Euro-Med Association Agreement? KOURKOULASThe main obstacle is that Lebanon must reduce or abolishcustoms duties. They should replace this method of gaining revenues.The …

So whatever happened to the Euro-Med partnership agreement?And wasn’t Lebanon applying as an observer to theWTO? After all, countries around the world have been integratingthrough the flow of goods, services, …

Freedom of the press is under threat, the media is screamingin unison. The culprit is an apparently well-intentionedproposal to place a ceiling on campaign expenditure andadvertising in a bid to …

The 36-year-old Coral Beach Hotel, once a summer playgroundfor Gulf princes, European holiday seekers andBeirut’s elite, has closed its doors. After suffering three consecutivelosing years, Izzat Kaddoura, the owner, is …

Karim Habib (not his real name) is a youngand bright financial analyst. Four years agohe was employed with one of the biggestinvestment firms in the United States, wherehe had a …

Even in the occupied zone, people still needed banks. Withits two branches, in Marjayoun and Bint Jbeil, Fransabankenjoyed a monopoly among 100,000 people. With theIsraelis gone, the bank is in …

While some point the finger at the Canadian-run consortium,which took charge in October 1998, Fakhoury, likemost, does not. The contract stipulates that all MPTemployees should be able to join LibanPost, …

The opening of Ericsson’s regional office in Beirut is a rare andwelcome development, since pessimism clouds Lebanon’s outlook.Nael Salah, vice president and general manager ofEricsson Middle East, talks to EXECUTIVE …

The participation of the private sector in decision making isan essential prerequisite for sound policies. This is becauseit leads to policies that are compatible to the private sectorneeds, reduces uncertainty …

Remember all the glowing clichés you’ve heard aboutLebanon? A bastion of capitalism within a sea of controlledeconomies, a regional hub, the Switzerland of the MiddleEast. With relatively low tax rates …