Contrary to reports in some sectors of the local media, the government has not revoked the regulation limiting foreign investors to a minority stake in joint ventures with local companies. The industry minister, Mohammed Benmeradi, told state news agency, Algérie Presse Service, at the end of February that "at no moment" had the government said that the rule had been abandoned. Mr Benmeradi added that in many cases the local share can be split between more than one local company, meaning that the foreign firm is the largest shareholder. He also confirmed that despite holding a minority of the shares, management of projects is "always" with the foreign partner. The regulation continues to be criticised, as the number of new projects proposed by foreign investors has fallen dramatically since the rule was introduced in 2008. The number of proposals fell from 102 in 2008 to four in 2009, according to figures from Agence nationale de développement de l'investissement (Andi), the state agency responsible for inward investment. The number of projects proposed in 2010 was "six or seven", only "one or two" of which were finalised, according to a senior executive at one international company with a joint venture in the country.

The global economic climate has played a part in the downturn, but there is a growing feeling among investors and local analysts that the government must improve investment conditions if it is to fulfil its targets for employment creation and economic growth. It is time to "abandon" the measure, which "tarnishes the image of Algeria for nothing", according to an article in a local independent daily, El Watan, on March 21st. An eventual change in investment conditions cannot be ruled out. But it remains unlikely in the short term. Mr Bouteflika has made supporting the local economy at the expense of international investors a key policy platform in the past three years and is unlikely to want to be seen to be bending to outside pressure.

The government will announce a supplementary budget in the summer for the third year running, Karim Djoudi, the finance minister, said in late March. The budget will include new measures agreed by the Council of Ministers in the first half of the year, as well as "certain legal provisions", the details of which have yet to be announced. It will include an increase in budgeted expenditure, said Mr Djoudi. The supplementary budgets have been used before to introduce restrictive measures, so this bill will be closely watched by investors.