Conclusion of the institutional twinning project between the Egyptian Customs Authority and its Italian counterpart
The conclusion of the institutional twinning project between the Egyptian Customs Authority and its Italian counterpart, which helped localize global expertise in enhancing customs capabilities, in cooperation with the European Union, during the past two years, in a way that led to Egypt advancing 10 marks globally in the Logistics Performance Index issued by the World Bank in 2023, to become one of the best 7 Arab countries, and the third in Africa
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Statement issued by the Ministry of Finance:
Minister of Finance.. At the conclusion of the institutional twinning project with Italian Customs:
"Italian twinning" helped us localize global expertise in enhancing customs capabilities.
We are proceeding with the path of comprehensive development of the customs system to stimulate local and foreign investments
Egypt is among the top 7 Arab countries in the Logistics Performance Index in 2023 according to the World Bank
Updating customs work mechanisms with digital transformation.. to keep pace with global trade changes
Facilitating procedures and developing anti-smuggling capabilities.. and reducing customs clearance time.
Developing the capabilities of workers in data analysis, dealing with risks and managing e-commerce applications
Commissionier of the Customs Authority:
Starting the procedures for mutual accreditation of the “Economic Operator” program between Egypt and Italy
We succeeded in developing and digitizing the customs system.. according to the best international practices
European Union Ambassador to Egypt:
Egypt made a real revolution in the customs field through the “single window” system
Italian EU-Union to Cairo:
We spare no effort in transferring Italian expertise to Egyptian customs
Advisor of the institutional twinning project with Italian customs:
We have a team capable of using modern tools in data analysis
We were able to extract indicative values by analyzing 800 customs declarations
Dr. Mohamed Maait, Minister of Finance, confirmed that the institutional twinning project between the Egyptian Customs Authority and its Italian counterpart helped us localize global expertise in enhancing customs capabilities, in cooperation with the European Union, during the past two years, in a way that led to Egypt advancing 10 marks globally in the Logistics Performance Index issued by the World Bank in 2023, to become one of the best 7 Arab countries, and the third in Africa, noting that we are proceeding with the path of comprehensive development of the customs system according to the latest international standards and experiences to stimulate local and foreign investments, from sustainable work to target facilitating procedures.
The Minister said, during the conclusion of the institutional twinning project with the Italian Customs, in the presence of Dr. Ihab Abu Aish, Deputy Minister for Treasury Affairs, that we seek to modernize customs work mechanisms by optimally employing digital transformation in its comprehensive and integrated concept; to keep pace with global trade changes, along with developing anti-smuggling capabilities, in addition to reducing customs clearance time, reducing import and export costs, and stimulating the private sector to play its developmental role, in light of the current global economic challenges, pointing to the importance of developing the capabilities of workers in data analysis, dealing with risks, and managing e-commerce applications, to develop customs procedures, and protect intellectual property rights.
El-Shahat Ghatouri, Commissionier of the Customs Authority, pointed out the importance of benefiting from Italian expertise to enhance the capabilities of the customs system, especially moving forward in the field of digitizing the customs service; which is reflected in increasing the level of efficiency and operational effectiveness in ports, in addition to joint projects with Italy in rapid maritime transport, explaining that the Italian side has made great efforts during the past period represented in organizing workshops with the professionals of the Egyptian Customs Authority on the best international practices related to customs release systems, especially "risk management" systems, supporting units to combat customs evasion, identifying and implementing tasks and activities that are consistent with the priorities of the Customs Authority, and preparing guidance manuals to help employees in the customs system comply with international best practices.
He added that Dr. Mohamed Maait, Minister of Finance, has paid great attention to developing and digitizing the customs system, in accordance with international best practices, which was reflected in simplifying procedures, reducing the average customs clearance time, and facilitating the movement of internal and external trade by establishing 14 logistics centers that cover 98% of Egypt's imports and exports, and linking all customs ports electronically to a unified platform "Nafza", in addition to implementing the "ACI" system at sea and air ports to protect the country from the entry of any poor-quality goods or hazardous materials, and advance customs clearance of goods before they arrive at Egyptian ports, pointing out the Egyptian side's keenness to continue cooperation with the Italian side to exchange experiences, and in this context, procedures for mutual accreditation of the "Economic Operator" program between the two countries are being initiated.
Nesma Naguib, the institutional twinning project advisor with Italian Customs, confirmed that the project began with a diagnostic study of the current situation on both sides to determine areas of cooperation in several areas, including: legislative and regulatory reform, as reflected in guidance manuals, as well as the executive regulations of the Customs Law in Egypt, cooperation in practicing procedures and human resources management, especially in the field of evaluating employee performance and job description cards, and analyzing data to assist decision-makers, as we now have a team capable of using modern tools in data analysis, and indicative values were extracted through the analysis of 800 customs declarations, noting that we aim to expand the Authorized Economic Operator program, and enhance the capabilities of anti-smuggling units, and in the coming period a joint memorandum of understanding will be signed to exchange data between the two sides.
The Italian Ambassador to Cairo, Michele Quaroni, said that we spare no effort in transferring Italian expertise to Egyptian customs, as Italy is Egypt's largest trading partner; bilateral relations between the two countries extend for decades, and cooperation paths include many fields, stressing that the Advance Cargo Registration (ACI) system plays a pivotal role in accelerating the release of customs goods, especially perishable goods... He pointed out the importance of cooperation in developing the customs system, which is positively reflected in economic performance, the rotation of the production wheel, and the promotion of investments.
Christian Berger, the European Union Ambassador to Egypt, stressed that this project contributes to facilitating economic integration, as twinning has proven to be a good tool for cooperation between departments, especially with regard to knowledge transfer, information exchange and adoption of best practices, and what has been achieved in the legislative, operational and institutional aspects is the result of a real commitment and trust built day after day by the Ministry of Finance and the Egyptian Customs Authority, which has shown strong interest in cooperating with Italian Customs to make this important project a success. He stressed that the “Nafeza” system introduced by Egypt is a real revolution in the customs field, along with the “ACI” system, which played a major role in accelerating customs procedures and reducing the clearance time for goods at the borders.
“We believe that we are not experts in the face of people who are learning..best practices must be tested on the ground, because the nature of the inspection and audit activity that goes well in one country may not be compatible with another one,” said Franco Leterari, Director of International Affairs at the Italian Customs Agency,,, explained that this initiative creates a kind of cooperation and friendship between the customs services of the two countries, which contributes to facing the various challenges that arise from trade exchange operations.
