Syria, EU kicks off finance ministry reform project

Syria and the European Commission have launched on Thursday a project to modernize the ministry of finance that coasts Euro 8 million and includes developing tax administration and general finance reform as well accounting and making customs procedures and rules go with the EU criterion.

Minister of Finance Mohammed al-Hussein said in the opening of the project that it "aims at upgrading the institutional environment at the ministry to match international criterion." He called upon national experts and employees at the ministry to make the utmost use of the European expertise in this domain in framework of the project pledging the ministry's readiness to guarantee all means that make the project a success.

The minister warned that modernizing legislative taxes that has been made would not contribute to tax and finance sector reform unless it was accompanied by an organizational and administrative reform at the ministry.

For his part, Head of the EU mission in Damascus Frank Hesske said the aim of the project is to improve the Syrian government role in economy." This will be through reforming its general finance system and therefore facilitating Syria's contribution to the Euro-Med free trade zone," Hesske said.

He noted that the project would boost the formation of all the ministry policies and make use of its capabilities noting that the tax system would be modernized and directed according to the social market economy.

The project would be executed in three years and would be implemented by Syrian experts and three resident experts from the EU who have experience in taxes and customs to the EU member states.