Strengthening the Compliance of the OIC Member States
to International Standards
97
In the textiles sector, Egypt’s exports to the EU represent nearly 40% of its total exports of textile
products. The USA and Arab countries are also important trade partners. In the framework of the second
phase of the Technical Assistance for Policy Reform Program (TAPR II), the USAID has recently
accomplished harmonization of regulations of textile and apparel products with American and EU
standards. As a result, the number of regulations affecting Egyptian textiles and apparel was cut from
1,048 to fewer than 20, and textile exports are expected to perform better in the future.
Food (fresh produce and processed)
Exports of vegetable products to the European market remain subject to a number of restrictions.
Egyptian exports of food (fresh produce) are generally oriented towards the Arab market, and are
recently finding their way into the African markets. Obstacles encountered by companies exporting
agricultural products include SPS measures, in addition to requirements of labeling and packaging, the
latter being one of the main obstacles to intra-Arab trade of food (processed and fresh produce). Many
companies struggle with the amount and level of detail required on the label, as well as the way in which
information should be presented. To many companies, customizing labels to meet different and
sometimes mutually exclusive requirements entails unnecessary costs (ITC, 2015).
As to exports to the EU market that fall under this category, Egyptian authorities responsible for
conformity assessment and certification are not yet accredited according to European regulations, which
limits the export potential to EU markets. Despite continuous efforts taken by the Ministry of Agriculture
and the Central Authority for Plant Quarantine (CAPQ), lack of compliance with SPS measures have
caused several incidents of exports ban, such as seeds and bean sprouts after an E-coli outbreak and
baby potatoes after discovery of brown rot during inspection at the EU borders. Restrictions expired in
March 2012 and were not renewed due to the measures taken by Egypt in compliance with the EU Food
and Veterinary Office’s recommendations. Additionally, import conditions for potatoes from Egypt we
simplified (European Commission, 2013). Exporters of fresh food produce and export promotion
authorities generally report various difficulties to comply with EU imposed restrictions pertaining not
only to hygienic measures and traceability, but also to packaging and labeling, in addition to restrictions
on weight and size per unit of fresh fruit or vegetables. The absence of accreditation of the Central
Authority for Plant Quarantine (CAPQ) of the Ministry of Agriculture to perform conformity assessment
according to EU standards continues to represent one of the major issues of concern. In this context, a
twinning project between the CAPQ and equivalent EU authorities is currently being designed.
Additionally, the USAID funded TAPR II program includes a current project for Egyptian small growers,
designed to help Egyptian farmers comply with GlobalGAP and FairTrade standards in order to access
international fresh produce markets. The project works with small producer associations in establishing