WASHINGTON – The United States–Egypt Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) Council met on October 29-30, 2024 in Washington, D.C. The meeting was co-chaired by Assistant United States Trade Representative for Europe and the Middle East Bryant Trick and Yahya Elwathi Bellah Ahmed, First Under Secretary and Head of the Foreign Commercial Service of Egypt’s Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade.
During the meeting, the United States and Egypt discussed a range of bilateral trade and investment issues and focused on seeking ways to promote greater fair and reciprocal trade in agricultural and industrial goods, worker rights, and intellectual property protection.
The United States and Egypt agreed that ongoing bilateral engagement on trade under the TIFA should include work that yields benefits for workers, producers, importers, exporters and consumers. Both sides agreed to advance the U.S.-Egypt Autos Working Group activities to the next stage, identifying regulatory changes needed to facilitate access of U.S. automotive products into the Egyptian market and encourage investment.
On agriculture, the United States and Egypt agreed to continue technical-level discussions on outstanding market access requests. Both delegations also reiterated their commitment to further transparency through timely and comprehensive notifications and inquiry responses through the World Trade Organization and bilateral channels.
The United States welcomed the progress by Egypt to implement important 2019 amendments to the 2017 Trade Union Law and an increase to the minimum wage in February 2024. Both sides also discussed ongoing concerns from stakeholders on restrictions on freedom of association, exemptions to the minimum wage law, and labor conditions in Qualified Industrial Zones.
The United States also expressed a willingness to explore further technical assistance for Egypt with the aim of promoting enhanced trade and investment.
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