(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Advisor)
 
At the weekly Cabinet meeting today (Sunday, 6 March 2016):
 
1. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the following remarks:
 
"In Israel we have excessive regulation, excessive bureaucracy and excessive legislation; the combination of these three things is causing Israel to be less and less competitive, less attractive to foreign investors. This says that the prices of products and of services are too high. The citizen pays more and businesses here do less business. Therefore, a main goal of this government is to reduce the excessive regulatory burden in Israel. We are starting to discuss this in the Cabinet today; tomorrow it goes to a special ministerial committee. The greatest reform that we in the Cabinet could enact is to reduce the regulatory burden on doing business in Israel and on the government administration.
 
This week our friend US Vice President Joe Biden will arrive for a visit. This visit expresses the strong relations between Israel and our ally the US. There are those who have predicted the collapse of these relations – it is not so. The relationship is strong in all areas and also in face of the challenges that we are standing together against in our region; I will discuss this, of course, with the Vice President during his visit.
 
I must say that alongside our relations with the US, we are building additional relations with many countries in the world. Every week a president or minister, or prime minister or foreign minister, or other ministers, visit here from countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, from the entire world. This also expresses, of course, Israel's status as an asset today in the fight against radical Islam and captures opportunities for the future, especially in technology. Tomorrow, the President of Romania will visit here and these visits will continue in my visits to other places, especially Africa this coming July."
 
2. The Cabinet marked International Women's Day, which occurs on March 8. Social Equality Minister Gila Gamliel briefed ministers on – inter alia – wage gaps between men and women (included those upon which pensions are calculated and the need to allocate additional resources in order to reach parity.
 
 
3. The Cabinet discussed and approved amendments to legislation regarding provident funds.

4. Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked updated ministers on Israel's accession to the Financial Action Task Force as an observer.
 
5. Prime Minister's Office Director General Eli Groner briefed ministers on action being taken to reduce regulation: Reducing the existing regulatory burden, evaluating the influence of new regulations, increasing competitiveness and removing impediments to imports and implementing the reforms in the business registration law. He reiterated that the ministerial committee on regulatory affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Netanyahu, would convene frequently in order to discuss the actions being taken to reduce the regulatory burden in each ministry.