Phil Hogan, the European commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, is expected to visit Egypt on 22 January. The ambassador of the EU's delegation to Egypt, Ivan Surkus, told Daily News Egypt. The visit aims to discuss boosting the joint cooperation in the agricultural areas, mentioned Surkus, adding, "Egypt is exporting a lot of agricultural products to Europe. and it is important to discuss how we can make Egyptian exports' access to the EU easier. Both sides will also discuss the ways Egypt's exports can be aligned with the EU's requirements." The EU is organising the commissioner's meetings with Egypt's Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation Ezz El Din Abu Steit, and the Minister of Trade and Industry Amr Nassar, noted Surkus. "For the time being, no specific agreements will be signed over the visit but the most important thing is to listen to each other, on the ways regarding our future cooperation," mentioned Surkus. Notably, the trade exchange between Egypt and the EU reached $13.4bn in the first six months of 2018, according to the governmental statements revealed in August, while it recorded $26.02bn in 2017. The most important items of trade exchange between Egypt and the EU include furniture, medical equipment, leather products, agricultural crops, engineering and electronic goods, food products, yarns, textiles, books, artistic works, ready-made garments, chemical products, fertilisers, building materials and handicrafts, added the statements.
