Europe absorbs Algerian gas: five markets control most LNG exports in 2026 Copy link

Algeria Gate: A presidential decree outlining the conditions and procedures for executing and maintaining artistic works in public spaces was published in the latest issue of the Official Gazette (Issue No. 49).

Decree No. 26-247, dated June 29, 2026, defines artistic works as monuments, including any statue, memorial, or mural with architectural or aesthetic value. These works are intended to commemorate individuals, multiple persons, or events, or to beautify public surroundings.

The decree further classifies murals as permanent or temporary writings, drawings, or sculptures created on walls or fixed or movable supports using paint, lime, cement, ceramic, or other materials. Such works must feature artistic and aesthetic qualities and serve to commemorate people or events or enhance the urban environment.

Categories of Artistic Works:

– National Dimension: works that commemorate national figures, symbols, historical achievements, revolutionary events, or artistic milestones represented across the entire national territory.

– Regional Dimension: works commemorating figures or events whose significance extends beyond a single wilaya (province) to neighboring regions.

– Special Character: works honoring specific personalities or events, created in implementation of decisions by the highest state authorities.

– Public Spaces: any road, square, place, or building designated for public use or open to the public.

According to the decree, the creation and display of artistic works in public spaces require a license, issued after consultation with the relevant committee. The license is granted by the Minister of the Interior, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, or the competent provincial Wali, depending on the nature and location of the project.

License applications must receive prior approval from:

– The Minister of Mujahideen (or the provincial Director of Mujahideen) for historical works related to popular resistance, the national movement, or the Liberation Revolution.

– The Minister of Culture and the Arts (or the provincial Director of Culture) for cultural works involving historical or artistic figures, events, or tangible and intangible cultural heritage.

All artistic works must respect the nation’s fundamental principles, historical symbols, values, and national memory. They must also comply with public order, public morals, the general interest of the nation, and technical, artistic, and aesthetic standards.

The decree establishes two committees : one at the national level and one at the wilaya level ; responsible for reviewing applications and issuing opinions within set deadlines.

Required Documents include proof of the applicant’s identity, approvals from concerned authorities, a model or miniature maquette of the proposed work, a historical summary of the person or event being commemorated, and details of the project’s financing.

Maintenance responsibility falls on the license holder:

– The municipality, for works on national property within its territory.

– The Ministry of Culture and the Arts, for protected cultural heritage properties.

– The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for works on Algerian state property abroad.

Artistic works created before the publication of this decree must have their status regularized in accordance with its provisions within one year from the date of publication in the Official Gazette.

Algeria Gate: Economic relations between Algeria and Germany are set to enter a new phase with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s official visit to Berlin on July 16th and 17th, 2026.

The president will be accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising 100 to 150 representatives from Algerian institutions and businesses.

The visit is expected to yield the signing of more than 30 agreements and the announcement of a broad strategic partnership focused on liquefied natural gas, hydrogen, mining, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing industries, and advanced technology.

The trip goes beyond political dialogue. It follows the arrival of the first direct Algerian liquefied natural gas shipment to Germany and occurs as Berlin seeks diversified energy and raw material suppliers, while Algeria aims to attract industrial investments, localize technology, and boost the value-added share of its exports.

Official sthchedule

On Thursday, July 16th, at 2:30 p.m., Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz will receive President Tebboune at the Federal Chancellery for talks on bilateral relations, energy, the economy, and raw materials. The Algerian president will also hold a meeting with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. The two-day program includes an encounter with members of the Algerian community in Germany.

Economic Forum and over 30 agreements

The centerpiece of the visit is the Algerian-German Economic Forum, which will gather government officials, investors, and business leaders from both sides. Expectations are high for the announcement of a strategic partnership and the signing of more than 30 agreements in key sectors.

Priority fields include hydrocarbons, renewable energies, energy transition, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, and advanced technology. Mining, raw materials, the automotive industry, and industrial digitization are also high on the agenda.

The substantial Algerian economic delegation underscores the visit’s strong investment focus, moving discussions from broad political exchanges to direct company-level negotiations on industrial projects, partnerships, and technology transfer.

Success will ultimately be measured not just by the number of agreements, but by contract values, participating companies, local integration rates, implementation timelines, job creation, and actual production within Algeria. The ability to transform declarations of intent into funded, executable projects will be decisive.

LNG shipment marks a turning point in gas trade

The visit comes shortly after a historic development: Sonatrach delivered the first direct shipment of Algerian liquefied natural gas to Germany on July 2nd, 2026, at the Wilhelmshaven 1 floating import terminal.

The cargo was loaded at the GL2Z liquefaction complex in Bethioua, Oran Province, and transported by the Sonatrach tanker “Tsala”. This operation established a direct commercial route for Algerian gas to Europe’s largest economy.

The shipment is significant because it proves Algeria’s ability to supply Germany directly via LNG, moving beyond its traditional reliance on pipelines to Italy and Spain and shipments to other European ports. It also demonstrates the flexibility of Algeria’s integrated gas system: production, pipelines, liquefaction plants, and fleet, allowing it to target high-demand markets.

For Germany, newly built floating terminals provide fresh opportunities amid reduced Russian supplies and efforts to diversify energy sources and routes.

From one shipment to long-term contracts

While the first delivery is an important milestone, the real shift lies in establishing regular supplies and medium- to long-term contracts between Sonatrach and German buyers.

German sources indicate that the visit will feature declarations of intent to expand Algerian LNG imports, along with cooperation to reduce methane emissions in the oil and gas industry. State Secretaries Jochen Vlaspart (Environment) and Frank Witsel (Economy) are expected to participate in the energy partnership signings.

Negotiations will need to cover volumes, prices, delivery schedules, receiving terminals, contract durations, and guarantees to support long-term planning.

For Algeria, such contracts offer predictability for production and investment in capacity expansion. For Germany, a reliable, geographically close supplier reduces supply risks. Environmental standards, especially methane emissions, will play a growing role in market access.

Methane reduction becomes a trade priority

Germany is supporting Algeria in cutting methane leaks across the production, processing, and transportation chain, aligning with the EU’s stricter controls on emissions from imported energy starting in 2027.

Possible measures include modernizing monitoring systems, deploying leak-detection sensors, digitizing facilities, reducing flaring and venting, and upgrading pipelines and processing units.

These initiatives would reduce waste, improve economic returns, and ensure Algerian gas complies with European requirements. They also open doors for German expertise in environmental technology and digitization, while enabling technology transfer and training for Algerian teams.

Hydrogen: the future of the energy partnership

Low-emission hydrogen forms the long-term pillar of bilateral cooperation. The two countries aim to build a complete value chain from production to export and industrial use.

A bilateral hydrogen working group was established in February 2024 to develop projects, infrastructure, and export routes. This effort ties into the SoutH2 Corridor project, which seeks to link North Africa to southern Germany via existing and upgraded gas infrastructure.

Germany needs hydrogen for hard-to-decarbonize industries such as steel, chemicals, and refining. Algeria sees it as a way to diversify exports and leverage its vast solar potential for renewable-based hydrogen production.

Initial agreements are expected to focus on feasibility studies, site selection, pilot projects, and capacity building before full-scale investment decisions.

Local manufacturing opportunities in hydrogen projects

Beyond energy exports, hydrogen offers industrial opportunities for Algeria. Negotiations could include local production of solar structures, storage systems, piping, and control equipment, along with integration into supply chains and training programs for engineers and technicians.

This aligns with Algeria’s push for greater local value creation and technology transfer in foreign investments.

Over 50 German companies active in Algeria

More than 50 German firms already operate in Algeria in sectors such as agriculture, pharmaceuticals, engineering, machinery, and industrial services. They are attracted by the large market, competitive energy costs, and proximity to Europe.

Algeria seeks German expertise in machinery, automation, engineering services, railways, water desalination, renewables, and industrial digitization. Expanding ties will require addressing administrative hurdles and encouraging German companies to move toward local production and job creation rather than单纯 imports.

 Six German carmakers eyeing the Algerian market

The automotive sector stands out, with six German companies expressing interest following Algeria’s reforms that tie incentives to local production, higher integration rates, supplier development, and technology transfer.

German participation could cover vehicle assembly, components, factory equipment, and digitization, with potential for exports to African markets.

Saïdal-Boehringer Ingelheim deal as a model

In pharmaceuticals, the partnership between Algeria’s Saidal Group and Germany’s Boehringer Ingelheim, which localizes production of lung disease treatments, serves as a model Algeria hopes to replicate. It combines production localization, know-how transfer, and improved medicine availability while supporting reduced imports and stronger pharmaceutical security.

Trade volume reaches 3.5 billion euros

Algerian exports to Germany reached about 3.5 billion euros, rising 11.3% between 2024 and 2025. While hydrocarbons still dominate, manufactured value-added products are increasing. Germany remains a major supplier of industrial machinery, vehicles, chemicals, and technical equipment to Algeria.

Mining and raw materials high on the agenda

Discussions on iron, phosphate, zinc, and related infrastructure will be prominent. Opportunities exist for German involvement in extraction, processing, machinery supply, and low-emission steel production using gas and later renewable hydrogen.

Implementation roadmap

The process is expected to begin during the visit with signed agreements and joint working groups. The second half of 2026 will likely see methane studies, gas contract negotiations, and project presentations. 2027 may bring pilot projects and further contracts, while large-scale hydrogen initiatives will extend into 2030 and beyond.

The real test ahead

President Tebboune’s visit places Algerian-German relations at a critical juncture: translating high-level interest into concrete contracts, factories, and sustained cooperation.

Success will be judged by implemented projects, investment volumes, local production, job creation, integration rates, and the development of genuine joint value chains; moving beyond gas exports and machinery imports toward deeper industrial partnership.

Algeria Gate: Travelers in Algeria will be able to receive their annual foreign travel allowance through their existing Visa, Mastercard, or other eligible international payment cards starting July 19^th, 2026, under new rules introduced by the Bank of Algeria.

The central bank clarified that citizens who already have a valid international payment card issued by a bank operating in Algeria will not need to apply for a new one. Instead, the approved travel allowance can simply be credited to their existing card.

The clarification comes as part of the implementation of Instruction No. 07-2026, issued on July 13^th, 2026, which introduces a more modern banking system for managing the country’s foreign travel allowance.

Under the new framework, eligible travelers can visit their banks from July 19^th to request the allowance and have the approved amount loaded onto their international payment card. Customers who do not yet have an eligible card may apply for one, with banks instructed to process applications without unnecessary delays.

Children covered, but separate rules apply

The new regulations also extend the travel allowance to minor children. However, instead of issuing a separate card in the child’s name, the allowance will be credited to the international payment card of the child’s legal guardian. The measure applies to a maximum of two children per family.

For married couples, the Bank of Algeria said each beneficiary must have an international payment card in their own name. A wife’s travel allowance, for example, cannot be credited to her husband’s card, as the system is designed to ensure that each allowance remains linked to its rightful beneficiary.

The funds may be used to pay for expenses while abroad, including online purchases directly connected to the trip. The bank stressed that the allowance is intended solely for travel-related spending and cannot be used for unrelated purposes.

Any unused balance will remain in the beneficiary’s account after returning to Algeria but can only be used during future trips abroad. If a journey is canceled or the traveler returns within seven days, the full travel allowance must be refunded.

The allowance is generally available once per calendar year. However, travelers who return the full amount within the legal deadline because their trip was canceled or cut short will remain eligible to receive it again during the same year.

Cards remain valid for three years

Travelers will not have to obtain a new payment card before every trip. According to the Bank of Algeria, cards issued specifically for the travel allowance will remain valid for at least three years, with replacements required only if the original card is officially reported lost.

The central bank also clarified how the new rules apply to previous beneficiaries. Those who received the travel allowance between July 21st and December 31st, 2025, will still be eligible for the 2026 allocation. Meanwhile, anyone who benefited from the scheme between January 1st and July 18th, 2026, will have to wait until January 1st, 2027, before applying again.

Applicants must provide a round-trip travel document; or proof of payment of the land travel tax where applicable, a valid passport, a copy of the passport’s first page, a valid visa if required, and proof of income.

Licensed banks authorized to carry out foreign exchange operations will continue issuing international payment cards and handling customer applications under the new regulations.

ATM withdrawals allowed abroad

Once travelers leave Algeria, they can use their cards for purchases, cash withdrawals at ATMs, and contactless payments where the card and merchant support the feature.

If a card is lost, stolen, or stops working while the holder is abroad, customers should immediately contact their bank through the designated assistance channels. Under the new instruction, banks are required to provide support to cardholders during their stay outside the country.

The new system marks a shift away from cash-based foreign currency allocations toward a more secure and transparent banking model. By relying on international payment cards and bank accounts, the authorities aim to improve oversight of the travel allowance while making it easier for Algerians to access and use foreign currency during their trips abroad.

The Bank of Algeria said the updated framework is designed to streamline the process for travelers, reduce dependence on cash transactions, improve the management of unused balances, and strengthen the role of banks in assisting customers before and during their journeys.

This version is smoother and more natural for an English-language news audience while preserving all the key information from the original article.