Shura to review Gulf insurance amendments and plant genetic resources system

TDT | Manama

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The Shura Council meets today to take up two GCC-wide draft laws, one amending the unified insurance scheme for GCC citizens working outside their home country, and another setting a common framework for plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, according to committee reports recommending approval.

The Council is due to debate the Services Committee’s report on changes to the Unified System for Insurance Protection Extension to GCC citizens working in another member state.

The draft law aims to widen insurance cover, update how contributions are collected, and strengthen links between civil pension bodies and social insurance authorities across the GCC.

The committee said the changes are aimed, in particular, at activating unemployment insurance, described in the report as a key form of social cover.

Under the proposal, a worker covered by the system would receive temporary financial compensation if they lose their job, in line with the rules and conditions set by the relevant laws.

Stability

The report said the draft law is framed to support the stability of pension and social insurance systems across GCC states by improving organisational and coordination arrangements tied to cross-border cover.

It points to sharper contribution collection, stronger data exchange and more regular insurance registration as steps that would support the financial position of the relevant bodies and help them keep carrying out their role.

The committee also said the draft text protects the rights of national workers under the unified system and does not reduce any existing insurance rights or benefits set by current legislation, including cover, compensation entitlements and access to those benefits.

Contributions

On payments, the committee said the proposal would make it easier for employers to pay contributions by allowing multiple payment channels, taking account of differences in procedures between GCC states and wider use of modern collection methods. The aim, it said, is to cut paperwork, reduce late payment and improve compliance with due dates.

The report also describes a shift in how insurance data is shared.

Under the current arrangement, employers provide the relevant data to the pension or social insurance body in the state where the employee works, and that body then notifies its counterpart in the employee’s home state.

The proposed amendment would make the employer directly responsible for providing the data to the competent bodies in both the country of employment and the employee’s home country.

The committee said the draft also spells out that paying an end-of-service gratuity or other worker compensation does not stop the recovery of rights due under the unified system to the employee or worker, or to the civil pension body or social insurance authority.

The wording is intended to remove confusion over whether labour compensation affects outstanding insurance obligations.

The Council is also expected to review the Public Utilities and Environment Committee’s report on a draft law approving a unified GCC system on plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.

The proposed system would cover the monitoring, classification, assessment, documentation and protection of plant genetic resources, regulate their movement into and out of GCC states, set rules for fair and equal sharing of benefits arising from their use, and encourage related research.

The committee said the draft law forms part of a wider legislative framework aimed at strengthening protection for agricultural and food plant resources, and links it to preserving Bahrain’s plant and agricultural heritage. It also said the system is intended to ensure Bahrain receives a fair share of benefits when those resources are used in research or industry inside or outside the Kingdom.