Page 15 - Microsoft Word - FINAL COPY - A Legal Guide to Investing in Iraq _12-7-2015_ _6_.docx

exclusively on oil revenues to finance
government projects. During this time the
public sector was strengthened at the expense
of the private sector, which was largely
neglected. Consequently, the public sector
became the largest employer of Iraqis, the
predominant engine of economic growth and
the largest contributor to the Gross Domestic
Product (GDP). This emphasis on public
sector interests also resulted in the
development of a judicial system that not
only neglected, but at times inhibited, private
sector interests. In fact, there was little to no
legislation passed in support of private-sector
funded investments. Successive governments
pursued legal and economic policies that led
to the enactment of laws that inhibited
foreign investment, as demonstrated by
policies prohibiting non-Iraqi nationals from
owning real estate as well as the
nationalization of private enterprises,
especially in the 1960s and 1970s.
This policy of overreliance on the public
sector has had harmful consequences for the
country’s economy. Most notably, the heavy
burden that rests with the State to provide job
opportunities for millions of Iraqis has been
a key factor in exhausting the State budget.
Since 2003, to counter this unsustainable
reliance on the public sector, there has been a
discernible shift in policies aimed at giving
confidence and providing critical support to
the private sector. To that end, the
Government of Iraq made a concerted effort
to transform the Iraqi economy from a
planned economy to a free-market economy,
as set forth in the 2005 Constitution of the
Republic of Iraq. Some key constitutional
provisions include Article 25, which states
“the State shall guarantee reforming the Iraqi
economy based on modern economic
principles to ensure full utilization and
diversification of its resources, and
11
‫وﺗﻌﺰﯾﺰ اﻟﻘﻄﺎع اﻟﻌﺎم ﻋﻠﻰ ﺣﺴﺎب اﻟﻘﻄﺎع اﻟﺨﺎص اﻟﺬي‬
‫ أﺻﺒﺢ اﻟﻘﻄﺎع‬،‫ وﻧﺘﯿﺠﺔ ﻟﺬﻟﻚ‬.‫ﺗﻌﺮض ﻟﻺھﻤﺎل ﺑﺸﻜﻞ ﻋﺎم‬
‫اﻟﺤﻜﻮﻣﻲ اﻟﻤﺠﺎل اﻷﻛﺒﺮ ﻟﺘﻮظﯿﻒ اﻟﻌﺮاﻗﯿﯿﻦ واﻟﻤﺤﺮك‬
‫اﻷﻛﺒﺮ ﻟﻠﻨﻤﻮ اﻹﻗﺘﺼﺎدي واﻟﻤﺴﺎھﻢ ﻹﺟﻤﺎﻟﻲ اﻟﻨﺎﺗﺞ‬
‫ وأدى ذﻟﻚ اﻟﺘﺮﻛﯿﺰ ﻋﻠﻰ اﻟﻘﻄﺎع اﻟﻌﺎم إﻟﻰ‬.‫اﻟﻤﺤﻠﻲ‬
‫ﺗﻄﻮﯾﺮ ﻧﻈﺎم ﻗﻀﺎﺋﻲ ﻟﻢ ﯾﮭﻤﻞ ﻣﺼﺎﻟﺢ اﻟﻘﻄﺎع اﻟﺨﺎص‬
‫ ﻟﻢ ﯾﻜﻦ ھﻨﺎك إﻻ‬،‫ وﺑﺎﻟﻔﻌﻞ‬.ً‫ وإﻧﻤﺎ ﻋﺮﻗﻠﮭﺎ أﯾﻀﺎ‬،‫ﻓﺤﺴﺐ‬
‫اﻟﻘﻠﯿﻞ ﻣﻦ اﻟﺘﺸﺮﯾﻌﺎت ﻟﺪﻋﻢ اﻟﻘﻄﺎع اﻟﺨﺎص اﻟﺬي ﺗﻤﻮﻟﮫ‬
‫ وطﺒّﻘﺖ اﻟﺤﻜﻮﻣﺎت اﻟﻤﺘﻌﺎﻗﺒﺔ ﺳﯿﺎﺳﺎت‬.‫اﻹﺳﺘﺜﻤﺎرات‬
‫ﻗﺎﻧﻮﻧﯿﺔ وإﻗﺘﺼﺎدﯾﺔ أدت إﻟﻰ إﺻﺪار ﻗﻮاﻧﯿﻦ ﻣﻌﺮﻗﻠﺔ‬
‫ ﺣﯿﺚ ﺗﺠﻠﻰ ذﻟﻚ ﻓﻲ ﺣﻈﺮ إﻣﺘﻼك‬،‫ﻟﻺﺳﺘﺜﻤﺎر اﻷﺟﻨﺒﻲ‬
‫ وﺗﺄﻣﯿﻢ اﻟﺸﺮﻛﺎت‬،‫اﻟﻌﻘﺎرات ﻋﻠﻰ ﻏﯿﺮ اﻟﻌﺮاﻗﯿﯿﻦ‬
.‫ وﻻﺳﯿﻤﺎ ﺧﻼل اﻟﺴﺘﯿﻨﯿﺎت واﻟﺴﺒﻌﯿﻨﯿﺎت‬،‫اﻟﺨﺎﺻﺔ‬
‫إن ﺳﯿﺎﺳﺔ اﻹﻋﺘﻤﺎد اﻟﻤﺘﺰاﯾﺪ ﻋﻠﻰ اﻟﻘﻄﺎع اﻟﺤﻜﻮﻣﻲ‬
‫اﻟﻤﻤﻮل ﻣﻦ اﻟﻤﻮازﻧﺔ اﻟﻌﺎﻣﺔ ﻗﺪ أﻟﺤﻖ اﻟﻜﺜﯿﺮ ﻣﻦ اﻷﺿﺮار‬
‫ ﻟﻌﻞ أﺑﺮزھﺎ اﻟﻌﺐء اﻟﺜﻘﯿﻞ اﻟﻮاﻗﻊ ﻋﻠﻰ‬،‫ﺑﺈﻗﺘﺼﺎد اﻟﺪوﻟﺔ‬
‫ﻋﺎﺗﻖ اﻟﺪوﻟﺔ ﻓﻲ ﺗﻮﻓﯿﺮ ﻓﺮص ﻋﻤﻞ ﻟﻤﺌﺎت اﻵﻻف ﻣﻦ‬
‫ وھﻮ ﺳﺒﺐ أﺳﺎﺳﻲ ﻓﻲ إرھﺎق اﻟﻤﻮازﻧﺔ‬،‫اﻟﻤﻮاطﻨﯿﻦ‬
.‫اﻟﻌﺎﻣﺔ ﻟﻠﺪوﻟﺔ‬
‫وﻟﻤﻮاﺟﮭﺔ اﻹﻋﺘﻤﺎد ﻏﯿﺮ اﻟﻘﺎﺑﻞ ﻟﻺﺳﺘﻤﺮار ﻋﻠﻰ اﻟﻘﻄﺎع‬
‫ ﻟﻤﻨﺢ‬2003 ‫ ﺣﺪث ﺗﺤﻮل ﻣﻠﺤﻮظ ﻣﻨﺬ ﻋﺎم‬،‫اﻟﺤﻜﻮﻣﻲ‬
‫ وﺗﺤﻘﯿﻘﺎً ﻟﮭﺬه‬.‫اﻟﺜﻘﺔ وﺗﻮﻓﯿﺮ اﻟﺪﻋﻢ اﻟﺤﯿﻮي ﻟﻠﻘﻄﺎع اﻟﺨﺎص‬
‫اﻟﻐﺎﯾﺔ ﺑﺬﻟﺖ ﺣﻜﻮﻣﺔ اﻟﻌﺮاق ﺟﮭﺪاً ﻣﻨﺴﻘﺎً ﻟﺘﺤﻮﯾﻞ اﻹﻗﺘﺼﺎد‬
‫ﻣﻦ إﻗﺘﺼﺎد ﻣﻮﺟﮫ إﻟﻰ إﻗﺘﺼﺎد ﺣﺮ ﻛﻤﺎ ﻧﺺ ﻋﻠﯿﮫ دﺳﺘﻮر‬
‫ وﻣﻦ اﻟﻨﺼﻮص‬.٢٠٠٥ ‫ﺟﻤﮭﻮرﯾﺔ اﻟﻌﺮاق ﻟﺴﻨﺔ‬
‫ ﻣﻦ اﻟﺪﺳﺘﻮر اﻟﺘﻲ ﺗﻨﺺ‬٢٥ ‫اﻟﺪﺳﺘﻮرﯾﺔ اﻷﺳﺎﺳﯿﺔ اﻟﻤﺎدة‬
‫ﻋﻠﻰ أن "ﺗﻜﻔﻞ اﻟﺪوﻟﺔ إﺻﻼح اﻹﻗﺘﺼﺎد اﻟﻌﺮاﻗﻲ وﻓﻖ‬
‫أﺳﺲ إﻗﺘﺼﺎدﯾﺔ ﺣﺪﯾﺜﺔ وﺑﻤﺎ ﯾﻀﻤﻦ إﺳﺘﺜﻤﺎر ﻛﺎﻣﻞ‬
‫ﻣﻮارده وﺗﻨﻮﯾﻊ ﻣﺼﺎدره وﺗﺸﺠﯿﻊ اﻟﻘﻄﺎع اﻟﺨﺎص‬
".‫وﺗﻨﻤﯿﺘﮫ‬