Zwara Free Trade Zone

Libyan Law  (215) of 2006 Establishing The Zwara Free Trade Zone

The Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya

The General People's Committee.

The Decision of the General People's Committee

Number (215) Year 1374 (2006 AD)

After considering Law (1) of year 1369 W.R., and the Libyan commercial law, and the Libyan marine law, and Law (65) of year 1970, and Law (81) of year 1970, and customs Law (67) of year 1972, and Law (16) of year 1991, and Law (5) of year 1426 M., and Law (9) of year 1430 M., and Law (3) of year 1369 W.R.,  and Law (7) of year 1372 W.R., and the General Committee's Decree (14) of year 1374 W.R., and what has been decreed by the General People's Committee in its second meeting of year 1374 W.R., and after the approval of the General People's Committee during its 27th meeting of year 1374, it was decided:

Article (1): Establishing a special area by the name of (Zwara-Abu-Kemmash Development Zone) (which must include the Island of Farwa), with its location and borders as illustrated in the drawing accompanying this decree, and with a specified working period of no less than (99) years, renewable by a decision from the General People's Committee.

Article (2): The zone enjoys its own identity and financial independence, and can legislate within the boundaries of Libyan law.

Article (3): The goals of the administrative committee of the zone include advertising and marketing advanced architectural and developmental projects; the creation of a tourist and industrial environment; various investment and commercial activities; and encouraging transit trade and goods exchange operations according to the needs of the market. The administration of the zone will also work towards providing banking, insurance and investment services as well as other services, and towards employing and developing the technology and the knowledge needed to establish an advanced foundation which will contribute towards developing commercial and trade services to support and develop the national economy of the country.

Article (4): The Development Zone will work to establish the necessary services and structures needed to initiate its operations, such as general services, housing, health, security, safety, education, tourism, commerce, industry and culture.

Article (5): To achieve its objectives, the Development Zone is authorised to issue all  the necessary decisions, manage its own administration and finance, encourage and advertise the creation of the foundations, companies, banks, factories, services and  provide employment and other activities relating to the zone. The zone has the right of ownership of the capital and property needed to to achieve its purposes.

Article (6): The Zone will be run by an administration formed by a decision from The General People's Committee, and this administration will then run and develop the zone according to the principles laid for the free zone.

Article (7): The administrative committee of the zone will have complete authority and responsibility to run the entire affairs of the zone, and supervise and guide all the other working institutions within the zone, especially:

• laying the general strategy, plans and regulations to regulate the activities  and the goals of the zone;
• studying the laws and legislation regarding investment and suggesting improvements;
• laying rules for renting land and property, for granting licenses and permits for investment and establishing services and industrial and commercial projects;
• preparing financial estimates needed to study and implement the underlying environment, building the essential services, the cost of advertising and marketing until work commences;
• implementing procedures to issue entry, exit and residence permits according to the needs of the situation;
• agreeing to granting mortgages and investment partnership with other parties;
• implementing special procedures relating to insurance, social security, and health amenities to the zone's residents, investors and workers;
• approving contracts and agreements struck with local and foreign bodies;
• implementing training programs for the zone's workers; undertaking all that is needed to protect the zone's capital and property and guarantee  the fulfillment of its goals;
• and establishing companies within the zone relating to its activities and decreeing the necessary regulations and procedure for their activities according to the law.

The administrative committee is authorised to proxy the head of the committee with some of these responsibilities, or to form, from within its current members, a new committee or more than one committee to see to some of these responsibilities.

Article (8): The administrative committee of the zone will implement the necessary preparations for its own custom, security and immigration laws, decreed by the General People's Committee.

Article (9): The administrative committee shall prepare an internal policy to illustrate its strategy, working procedures and meeting agendas.

Article (10): The zone, its residents and those who invested in the zone enjoy all the advantages and privileges decreed in Law (9) of year 1430 M. regarding the organisation of transit commerce and free trade zones, and Law (5) of year 1426  M. regarding the promotion to encourage foreign investment in Libya, and Law (7) of 1372 W.R. regarding tourism.

Article (11): It is allowed to use English language as well as other languages, in addition to Arabic, in all the dealings of the free trade zone.

Article (12): The zone will have a seaport and an airport which can be utilised nationally and internationally.

Article (13): The monetary capital and earnings of the zone will come from:

• local and foreign investors' money
• the national budgets set aside for the zone
• internal and external mortgages
• income from the zone's operations and activities
• income from investment returns of the zone's capital
• any other incomes resulting from the licensed activities within the zone.

Article (14): Administrative, financial and organisational protocols and procedures relating to work, motivation and salaries will  be decreed by the General People's Committee according to proposals submitted by the administrative committee of the zone.

Article (15): This decree (or decision) is effective from the date of its issue, and all the concerned bodies should implement it, and be published in the archive.

The General People's Committee

Issued on 19 Sha'ban

09/06/2006

[End of Document]

[Translated by Temehu.com]

For more information and for the Arabic version of Law (215) regarding the creation of Zwara Free Trade Zone, please visit zwarafreetradezone.com, or libyanfreetradezone.com.