Finance Minister Yassine Jaber held a joint press conference with French Ambassador Hervé Magro and representatives from the French Development Agency (AFD) and Expertise France to mark a new phase in the “Empowering Budget Preparation for Sound Public Financial Management” project.
The event spotlighted key achievements and outlined future milestones aimed at strengthening Lebanon’s budgetary process, restoring accountability, and rebuilding public trust in state institutions.
Speaking at the Ministry of Finance, Minister Jaber began by thanking France for its unwavering support—not only through financial assistance, but through political and moral partnership during one of Lebanon’s darkest institutional chapters. “France stood by us when others walked away,” he said, praising its role in Lebanon and within the European Union as a driver of stability and reform.
“This is not just a project launch—it is a testimony to resilience,” Jaber declared. “In the face of institutional paralysis, this project chose not to bypass the state, but to rebuild it from within. That’s what gave it credibility, depth, and sustainability.”
He recalled how the initiative began when Lebanon’s financial system was at a standstill, paralyzed by a backlog of over 3.6 million paper tax receipts that had never been integrated into official records. “We confronted this bottleneck head-on, digitally processing every slip to restore our financial visibility,” he said.
Jaber outlined how non-bank financial intermediaries—who had taken over tax collection after the collapse of the banking sector—were brought back under formal state control through new registration and automation mechanisms. “This was not a technical patch; it was a strategic reassertion of state authority.”
He also highlighted a major legal breakthrough: the adoption of a unified decree governing budget preparation, replacing decades of fragmented and conflicting regulations. With the support of AFD and Expertise France, the Ministry issued Lebanon’s first official budget manual, streamlining procedures and enhancing institutional transparency.
The minister emphasized that reforms extended beyond structure to process. “We ended arbitrary spending practices and introduced ceilings based on real resources. Every figure in the budget now has meaning. Every policy has context.”
More than 85% of accumulated financial data has now been processed, he noted, and off-budget revenues have been brought back into the official system. “Budget preparation is no longer a formality—it is a documented, evidence-based process with clear standards.”
Still, Jaber acknowledged that success remains fragile. “We are not naïve. Reform is not a destination. But we now move forward with greater confidence, and that confidence is rooted in your continued support,” he told the French delegation.
He confirmed that the next step is to publish internal and public reports on budget execution—an unprecedented move in Lebanon’s financial history.
“Lebanon is changing,” he said. “Slowly. With difficulty. But steadily. Even in collapse, we’ve shown that it is possible to restore order, create clarity, and deliver public service worthy of citizens’ trust.”
In closing, Jaber issued a call for continued collaboration: “Let us move forward—not merely as implementers of a project, but as true partners in building a credible, accountable state. A state that earns its people’s trust once more.”
The project’s next phase, supported by additional international funding, will deepen the reforms and further institutionalize financial discipline in government—placing Lebanon’s fiscal recovery on firmer, more transparent ground.
The event spotlighted key achievements and outlined future milestones aimed at strengthening Lebanon’s budgetary process, restoring accountability, and rebuilding public trust in state institutions.
Speaking at the Ministry of Finance, Minister Jaber began by thanking France for its unwavering support—not only through financial assistance, but through political and moral partnership during one of Lebanon’s darkest institutional chapters. “France stood by us when others walked away,” he said, praising its role in Lebanon and within the European Union as a driver of stability and reform.
“This is not just a project launch—it is a testimony to resilience,” Jaber declared. “In the face of institutional paralysis, this project chose not to bypass the state, but to rebuild it from within. That’s what gave it credibility, depth, and sustainability.”
He recalled how the initiative began when Lebanon’s financial system was at a standstill, paralyzed by a backlog of over 3.6 million paper tax receipts that had never been integrated into official records. “We confronted this bottleneck head-on, digitally processing every slip to restore our financial visibility,” he said.
Jaber outlined how non-bank financial intermediaries—who had taken over tax collection after the collapse of the banking sector—were brought back under formal state control through new registration and automation mechanisms. “This was not a technical patch; it was a strategic reassertion of state authority.”
He also highlighted a major legal breakthrough: the adoption of a unified decree governing budget preparation, replacing decades of fragmented and conflicting regulations. With the support of AFD and Expertise France, the Ministry issued Lebanon’s first official budget manual, streamlining procedures and enhancing institutional transparency.
The minister emphasized that reforms extended beyond structure to process. “We ended arbitrary spending practices and introduced ceilings based on real resources. Every figure in the budget now has meaning. Every policy has context.”
More than 85% of accumulated financial data has now been processed, he noted, and off-budget revenues have been brought back into the official system. “Budget preparation is no longer a formality—it is a documented, evidence-based process with clear standards.”
Still, Jaber acknowledged that success remains fragile. “We are not naïve. Reform is not a destination. But we now move forward with greater confidence, and that confidence is rooted in your continued support,” he told the French delegation.
He confirmed that the next step is to publish internal and public reports on budget execution—an unprecedented move in Lebanon’s financial history.
“Lebanon is changing,” he said. “Slowly. With difficulty. But steadily. Even in collapse, we’ve shown that it is possible to restore order, create clarity, and deliver public service worthy of citizens’ trust.”
In closing, Jaber issued a call for continued collaboration: “Let us move forward—not merely as implementers of a project, but as true partners in building a credible, accountable state. A state that earns its people’s trust once more.”
The project’s next phase, supported by additional international funding, will deepen the reforms and further institutionalize financial discipline in government—placing Lebanon’s fiscal recovery on firmer, more transparent ground.
