Egypt is seeking to expand its fish exports to Italy by strengthening bilateral cooperation on food safety standards and regulatory alignment, according to the National Food Safety Authority (NFSA).
NFSA Chairperson Tarek El-Houby held talks at the Authority’s headquarters with Giuseppe Papalia, Head of Economic Affairs at the Italian Embassy in Cairo, and Vincenzo Cali, Head of the Cairo office of the Italian Trade Agency. Discussions focused on enhancing technical cooperation and facilitating greater access for Egyptian fish products to the Italian market.
El-Houby outlined the NFSA’s ongoing efforts to modernise Egypt’s food safety regulatory framework in line with international standards, strengthen inspection and control systems, and improve the competitiveness of Egyptian food exports in European markets.
The Italian side commended the Authority’s progress in upgrading food safety infrastructure and expressed interest in expanding technical collaboration and knowledge exchange to support bilateral trade and investment.
Both parties agreed on the importance of closer technical coordination, including the exchange of information on health and regulatory requirements and the streamlining of procedures for approving export facilities. The objective is to ensure that Egyptian fish products fully comply with European standards, thereby enhancing their competitiveness and market share in Italy.
The meeting also addressed mechanisms for sharing technical data and trade-related information, such as periodic statistics, import requirements, regulatory updates and inspection outcomes. These steps are intended to enable swift responses to regulatory changes, facilitate smoother trade flows and strengthen mutual confidence between the two countries.
The talks concluded with a shared commitment to sustained coordination and cooperation aimed at supporting investment opportunities and expanding trade in the food industry sector, particularly in fisheries exports.
