Egypt secures EU market access for farmed fish exports

Egypt has secured approval to export aquaculture products to all 27 European Union (EU) member states after meeting the bloc’s technical and regulatory requirements, the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade announced.

The Egyptian Commercial Service, through its office in Brussels, worked with the National Food Safety Authority (NFSA) and other relevant national bodies to secure the inclusion of Egyptian aquaculture products on the EU’s list of countries authorised to export such products.

The approval follows Egypt’s fulfilment of European requirements governing exports of products of animal origin, opening new opportunities for Egyptian farmed fish and crustaceans to enter the European market.

Mohamed Farid Saleh, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, said that removing technical and regulatory barriers to Egyptian exports was a priority for expanding market access and strengthening the competitiveness of national products.

He stressed the importance of coordination among national authorities, overseas commercial representation offices and the ministry’s affiliated bodies to facilitate access to international markets, diversify export destinations and translate trade opportunities into sustainable export flows.

Securing the approval involved technical and institutional efforts, including preparing a comprehensive dossier in line with EU requirements, strengthening monitoring systems for chemical residues and contaminants, and developing the regulatory and oversight frameworks governing Egypt’s aquaculture sector.

The Egyptian Commercial Service’s office in Brussels played a key role in coordinating with the European Commission, particularly its Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety, and following up on technical requirements in cooperation with the relevant Egyptian authorities.

Abdel Aziz El-Sherif, First Undersecretary of the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade and head of the Egyptian Commercial Service, said that coordination with European authorities would create new opportunities for Egyptian aquaculture exports.

He added that the next phase would focus on ensuring that exporting facilities continued to comply with approved requirements and maintaining coordination among the relevant authorities to translate the approval into sustained exports of farmed fish and crustaceans to the European market.