Cash declaration at the border, Internet, appointments: Other decisions made at the latest Cabinet meeting

The disarmament of Hezbollah was not the only explosive issue on the agenda at Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting in Baabda, on which the government took a step forward. The government also approved two draft laws amending existing legislation, seen as critical for trying to convince the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) — the leading global anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing body — to remove Lebanon from its gray list.

The first project, which is considered urgent, seeks to increase the penalties for those who do not declare the sums of money in their possession when crossing Lebanese borders. This is an amendment to Law No. 42/2015 concerning the cross-border transport of cash. The law requires anyone physically transporting money, when entering or leaving the country, to declare it to customs if the amount exceeds $15,000, subject to fines, among other penalties.

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The second project strengthens the provisions of Law No. 44/2015 "in order to ensure better compliance with international standards," according to the decision’s statement. Both projects now must go before Parliament. According to a government source, they were prepared under the direction of Finance Minister Yassine Jaber, Economy Minister Amer Bsat and Central Bank (BDL) Governor Karim Souhaid.

The adoption of the two laws in 2015 allowed Lebanon to be removed in 2016 from the FATF’s gray list, where it had been placed six years earlier. However, during the most recent evaluations conducted from 2022 to 2024, the country was put back on the list.

Internet discussion postponed until next week

The government was also supposed to review the report of Telecommunications Minister Charles Hage on ongoing negotiations between Lebanon and three satellite internet service providers: Starlink, Eutelsat and Arabsat. The issue was ultimately postponed until next week.

The minister said that Starlink, the network operated by SpaceX and owned by billionaire Elon Musk, meets all the conditions set by Lebanon, including those of the security forces and the justice ministry’s consulting and legislation committee, to obtain a license from Lebanese authorities. The parliamentary telecoms committee is scheduled to examine the Starlink case and that of illegal internet providers on Wednesday.

The ministry was also to report on the status of negotiations with the two other companies, Eutelsat and Arabsat. Both operate smaller satellite fleets than Starlink but have more concentrated networks — Eutelsat in Europe and Arabsat in Arab countries. The telecom ministry plans to consult security forces and the consulting committee when the discussions reach the stage of formal negotiations.

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Environment, culture, and firefighters

As for administrative appointments scheduled on the agenda, the executive approved the renewal of Rony Lahoud’s term as head of the Public Housing Agency — a body distinct from Banque de l'Habitat, tasked with facilitating home ownership for low-income families. Its capacity to accept new applications has been halted since Lebanon’s crisis. Lahoud has held the position since 2014. The government also approved the makeup of the board of directors. Hani Shaarani serves as chair, with Hani Shamaa, Gaby Khouryati, Bassim Bkhash, Joumana Tadmori and Leila Shahoud as members.

The government also approved a draft decree presented by the Environment Ministry to ratify the Arab Environment Facility, a regional body established by members of the Arab League to finance and support environmental projects. Lebanon is among the countries that have already signed onto this mechanism, ratified at the ministerial level by the Arab League in September 2008, but the ratification process in Lebanon has been underway since 2011. Few Arab League countries have ratified this treaty to date.

The government also approved a memorandum of understanding between Lebanon’s National Library and the National Library of Spain, submitted by Culture Minister Ghassan Salameh. Few details were provided, but such agreements typically involve collection exchanges or digitization projects in practice.

The government also approved an agreement between the Civil Service Council, the International Organization of La Francophonie, and the French Institute of Lebanon to improve the French-language skills of some Lebanese civil servants.

Finally, the Cabinet approved a competitive exam to be launched by the Ministry of Public Works and Transport for the recruitment of 25 officers for the fire brigade of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, to fill vacant positions with the fire brigade operating at Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport.