EU approves customs exemption on Egyptian agricultural commodities

The European Union (EU) has approved customs exemption on importing seven Egyptian agricultural commodities year round and without determining any export quotas.

These commodities include citrus, medicinal and aromatic plants, guava, palm dates, mangoes, dried legumes and fresh vegetables.

The EU agreed on increasing the Egyptian export quotas of potatoes, oranges, fresh legumes, dried onions and garlic, flowers, strawberries and onions annually, without customs tariffs.

In addition, Egyptian fish was allowed to be exported to the EU countries.

The EU endorsed importing peanuts and molasses year round without specified quotas, in addition to extending the export season for some agricultural commodities to Europe comprising grapes, watermelon and cantaloupe.

The EU approved granting manufactured agricultural export commodities a reduction on customs tariffs around 10 percent, 30 percent and 50 percent respectively.

It also agreed on reducing customs tariffs on added export quantities over certain quotas on or out of the export season besides diminishing non customs trade barriers.

In addition, the EU endorsed increasing most Egyptian agricultural export commodities to Europe without customs tariffs by 3 percent besides augmenting these quotas in case new countries entered the EU.