Regional Round-Up: Lao PDR Q4 2024 (Year in Review Edition)

Looking Back: 2024 and Gazing Into: 2025

Looking Back: 2024

In June 2024, the Vice President of State Inspection Authority Mr Vilayvanh Bouthdakham presented amendments to the Law on Anti-Corruption at the 7th Ordinary Session of the National Assembly. In his presentation, the Vice President stated that the amendment will serve as a legal tool to better regulate and prevent corruption, protect honest people, and tackle social ills in line with current national socio-economic development, other legal instruments and the country’s trend of regional and international integration.

On the investment front, Laos’s current development plan, the 9th National Socio-Economic Development Plan (NSEDP) (2021-2025) focuses on graduating Laos from the Least Developed Country (LDC) category by 2026. To achieve this goal, the Government continues to prioritise diversifying the economy and improving the investment climate to encourage domestic and foreign investment to boost growth. To this end, the National Assembly amended the Law on Investment Promotion.

In so far as environmental law is concerned, the Law on Environmental Protection has been in force for more than 12 years. Prior to its amendment in 2024, the law was not in line with the country’s socio-economic growth. The structure and content of the law had gaps. Moreover, there were many issues within the law that were inconsistent with or contrary to other existing laws, such as the Law on Chemical Management, the Law on Disaster Management, the Law on Forestry, the Law on Minerals, the Law on Wildlife, and the Law on Aquatic Animals and Fisheries. This prompted the National Assembly to revise the Law on Environmental Protection.

To support global efforts to combat money laundering and terrorism financing, the President’s Office passed in 2022 the Decree on Approval and Promulgation regarding the Strategy on Anti-Money Laundering and Countering of Financing Terrorism (AML/CFT) of the Lao PDR in the Period of 10 Years (2021-2030) and Vision to 2035. To achieve the objectives of the decree, the National Assembly passed the amended Law on Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Financing of Terrorism.

Other statutory instruments and subsidiary legislation were also issued, affecting various sectors of the country.

Gazing Into: 2025

In 2025, the Government proposes to pass the following laws:

  • Law on Joint Investment Between State and Private (from the Ministry of Planning and Investment);
  • Law on Architecture (from the Ministry of Post and Transportation); and
  • Law on Financial Stability (from the Ministry of Finance).

The Government proposes to amend the following laws:

  • Law on Prevention and Combating Cyber Crime (from the Ministry of Technology and Communications);
  • Law on Information Communication Technology (from the Ministry of Technology and Communications);
  • Law on Medicine and Medical Product (from the Ministry of Public Health); and
  • Law on Electricity (from the Ministry of Energy and Mines).

Full Report

Click on the link below for the full report which provides summaries of the key legal developments related to the above areas.

Please note that whilst the information in this Update is correct to the best of our knowledge and belief at the time of writing, it is only intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter and should not be treated as a substitute for specific professional advice

CONTACTS

Managing Partner, Rajah & Tann (Laos) Co., Ltd.
Consultant, Christopher & Lee Ong
+603 2273 1919
+603 2267 2611
Lao PDR, Malaysia,
Head, Corporate Commercial
Head, Employment
+65 6232 0474
Lao PDR, Singapore,

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