Arab Republic of Egypt Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade General Organization for Export and Import Control

Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade receives Minister of Environment for deliberating investment opportunities in various environment sectors and means of promoting them, and they witness signature of Cooperation Protocol between the General Organization for Export and Import Control, and Waste Management Regulatory Authority (WMRA) in the field of applying the green label for plastic products. 
Engineer/ Hassan Al Khatib, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, received Dr. Yassmin Fouad, Minister of Environment as they discussed and demonstrated the investment opportunities in different environment sectors including sectors of wastes, Ecotourism and climate investment plans, that are considered promising and attracting to investment and they discussed means of promoting them. 
His Excellency said that the meeting reviewed the possibilities of establishing electronic platform for the climate and environment investment in Egypt, indicating that the available investment opportunities in fields of solid-waste management, sustainable energy and the bioeconomy were reviewed. 
Al Khatib referred to the keenness of the Ministry to enact the investment incentives stated in the Law of Investment, expand the scope of supporting the climate and environment projects, indicating the importance of boosting the joint efforts for increasing the economic growth rates along with achieving environmental sustainability. 
The Minister showed that the ministry targets creating investment climate more competitive and attracting to local and foreign investments, based upon transparency and clarity, providing supportive legislative and institutional environment, improving working environment, facilitating procedures, and overcoming obstacles that confront investors along with enhancing the role of the Private Sector as a principal partner in the development.  
For her part, Dr.  Yassmin, Minister of Environment, expressed her gratitude for cooperation with the Ministry of Investment for promoting the promising investment opportunities in various environment fields, indicating the political leadership directives for the significance of linking environment folder with that of the economic development. Ministry of Environment, during the last period, developed the climate supporting the folder of nature reserves and ecotourism for the purpose of maximizing Egypt's Economic returns.  
Dr. Yassmin reviewed a number of procedures adopted for creating supportive investment climate including facilitating procedures of obtaining environmental approvals as environmental approval are currently issued within for 7 days or more instead of 30 days as before, and activation of the electronic linking between Environmental Affairs Agency and Industrial Development Authority is scheduled to be finalized. Moreover, a guideline has been prepared for environmental stipulations of different projects that are included within the specified sectors for obtaining the golden license. 
Within the framework of funding the biodiversity and protecting nature in nature reserves, Minister of Environment indicated that Ministry of Environment is attempting to establish a facilitated funding mechanism to support environmental investment and ecotourism projects inside nature reserves, as the funding mechanism aims at enhancing the growth of ecotourism, indicating that Environmental and Climate Investment Unit has been established at Ministry of Environment, to work on solving investors’ problems and facilitating procedures for issuing approvals and permits, and developing investment opportunities in the fields of environment and climate, preparing preliminary studies for them and working to make them available for those wishing to invest.
During the meeting, the Minister of Environment discussed climate investment plans, referring that in cooperation with the Green Climate Fund, and within the framework of the National Climate Change Strategy 2050, climate investment plans have been prepared for some priority sectors, such as the agriculture sector, water resources and irrigation sector, attempting to attract investments in the field of voluntary carbon market, as it is expected that the carbon market will contribute to attracting new local and international investments, as companies will be able to issue and sell carbon emission reduction certificates.
The meeting also addressed the investment opportunities available in the field of integrated waste management, whether municipal solid waste, agricultural waste, construction and demolition waste, to treat these wastes with added value and maximize the role of the circular economy and sustainability, and present the current status of waste-to-energy projects.
In a related context, the two ministers witnessed signing a cooperation protocol between the General Organization for Export and Import Control (GOEIC) and the Waste Management Regulatory Authority with respect to cooperation in the field of applying the green label for plastic products; whereas this protocol contributes to supporting and enhancing the transition to the green economy, which is reflected upon the reputation of Egyptian exports and increases their competitiveness in global markets. Eng. Essam El-Naggar, Chairman of the GOEIC and Mr. Yasser Abdullah, Chief Executive Officer of the Waste Management Regulatory Authority (WMRA).
According to clauses of the protocol, the General Organization for Export and Import Control undertakes receiving samples from the Waste Authority or its affiliated companies and factories and then coding them after ensuring that the data on the package is compatible and reviewing it with the request data attached thereto. The GOEIC's laboratories in its various branches conduct laboratory tests and send a copy of the test report electronically and in paper immediately upon completion, in addition to taking part in providing services, transferring expertise and technical consultations, and holding seminars and training in the field of examination and analysis. 
The GOEIC also designs and implements plans and verification programs of the efficiency of its laboratories through distributing verification samples for verifying their efficiency and the accuracy of their results to be evaluated by the Waste Authority. The GOEIC conducts as well scientific studies to assess the risks of different pollutants, along with providing technical advisory support to find solutions to these risks, in cooperation with the Waste Authority. The Waste Management Regulatory Authority complies with sending samples to the GOEIC for analysis and evaluating the analysis results according to a specific timetable for each analysis. The GOEIC's laboratories are provided with modern analytical methods for applying them, and conducting the necessary studies to be used in the analysis after approving them.
The protocol also states that the Waste Management Regulatory Authority will hold periodic or emergency follow-up meetings with specialists from the contracting GOEIC's laboratories for facilitating work, discussing technical inquiries, evaluating performance, and development objectives, in addition to providing services, transferring expertise and technical consultations, and holding seminars and training in the field of inspection and analysis for the GOEIC according to the available capabilities. Waste Management Regulatory Authority will also participate with the GEOIC in projects of supplying the latest laboratory equipment for conducting tests for granting companies the green label.