Because of its geographic location, as well as being the second largest signatory to multinateral trade agreements in the world, Egypt connects investors with established and emerging markets.
Egypt, in 2015, reached the 19th position (out of 157 countries) in the Unctad's “Liner Shipping Connectivity Index" " which measures competitiveness in the maritime system based on the network and the quality of the container liner service offered by the ports.
In addition, between 2007 and 2014 Egypt rose 35 positions in the Logistic Performance Index, reaching the 62nd position. In 2016, Egypt has moved up 13 places to rank 49 in LPI (World Bank indicator measuring logistics competitiveness of 160 countries in the world).
Egypt has a number of bilateral investment agreements in place with countries around the world, including Belgium, China, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Libya, Luxembourg, Morocco, the Netherlands, Romania, Singapore, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Egypt is a signatory to a number of other international trade agreements as it:
• Joined the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) in 1998.
• Co-signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) with the United States in 1999 to create freer trade and increased investment flows between the two countries.
• Became a member of the General Arab Free Trade Agreement (GAFTA), and the Agadir Agreement with Jordan, Morocco, and Tunisia, which relaxes rules of origin requirements on jointly manufactured products for export to Europe.
• Had an FTA with Turkey since 2007 and in 2013 ratified an FTA with the Mercosur bloc of Latin American nations.
• Signed an Association Agreement with the European Union (EU) in 2001, which came into effect in 2004. Under its terms, Egyptian products are given immediate duty free access into EU markets while EU products are being phased in over a 12-year period.
• In 2010, Egypt and the EU added an agricultural annex to their FTA, liberalizing trade in over 90% of agricultural goods. It is worth noting that Egypt is a major trading partner with the EU, particularly in the Southern Mediterranean region.
• EU-Egypt bilateral trade more than doubled between 2004 and 2012 from €11.8billion to €23.9billion.
• The EU accounted for 22.9% of Egypt's trade volume in 2013 and ranks first for imports and exports.
• Egyptian fuel and mining products accounted for 49.5% of EU imports from Egypt in 2014, followed by textiles and clothing (10.2%) and chemicals (9.1%). EU exports to Egypt consist mainly of machinery and transport equipment (24.5%).
• EU exports of services to Egypt are dominated by business services, while EU imports from Egypt consist mainly of travel services and transport.
Source: GAFI web site.