Capital projects suspended in view of next year’s budget — Finance Ministry

AMMAN — Suspending the implementation of capital projects is an “ordinary procedure” in preparing next year’s budget, the Finance Ministry said on Thursday, adding that only priority schemes will be implemented with the cooperation of the private sector. 

The ministry told the Jordan News Agency, Petra, that the decision includes ministries and public departments and excludes decentralisation schemes. 

It added that the communiqué to suspend such projects only applies to schemes whose implementation tenders have not yet been floated, while others under construction will continue.  

Ventures whose implementation may stop will be referred to the public-private sector partnership unit for execution. 

The decline in public expenditures totalled around JD162 million after the government made a decision in May to control spending and contain the budget deficit.

The total drop in current and capital expenditures for 2019 reached some JD138.5 million, excluding decentralisation projects, while the amount of reduction of capital projects came in at JD23.2 million. 

Prime Minister Omar Razzaz in May directed all stakeholders to consider reducing current and capital expenditures and present recommendations.

Razzaz had also approved a recommendation by Finance Minister Ezzeddine Kanakrieh to stop the implementation of capital projects whose construction had not started, except priority schemes and ventures associated with grants and loans.