In the name of the people
President of the Republic
The People’s Assembly has promulgated the following law, which we have promulgated;
(Article I)
Taking into account the decisions issued by the Supreme Council for Export, the Minister concerned with foreign trade shall set within the limits of his competence the rules and procedures that ensure the development of exports in order to achieve an increase in their size and expansion of their fields, open new markets for them, raise their ability to compete in global markets, and remove obstacles to this, and in this regard he may issue executive decisions in foreign trade affairs in export and import affairs for export, stipulated in the legislation in force, after presentation to the President of the Cabinet.
(Article II)
A fund called the “Export Development Fund” shall be established to have a public legal personality, and shall be subordinate to the Minister concerned with foreign trade, and aims to increase the volume of export and expand its fields, raise the competitiveness of Egyptian commodity and service exports, and work to reduce the burden of export operations in the sectors of commodity and service production, and for this purpose: a) Encouraging the marketing of national products in foreign markets. (b) Assisting producers in increasing their export capacity by conducting technical and marketing research and establishing testing laboratories, technical specification certification centres, marketing research institutes and centres and training centres. (c) Development of electronic communication networks with importing markets, national development institutions, organizations involved in the promotion of exports, and other bodies working in this field. (d) Reducing the financing burden on exporters to be on par with competitors in international markets. (e) Strengthening the capacity of exporters to market and promote in the areas of commodity and service exports. (f) Financing export market studies, determining their qualitative and quantitative needs, and introducing exporters to the demands of foreign markets and the controls they place on the circulation of imported goods. (g) Other means and tools that work to achieve the objectives of the Fund.
(Article III)
The Fund’s resources consist of: 1- Voluntary contributions provided by exporters as regulated by the executive regulations of this law.2- The appropriations allocated to it in the general budget of the State.3- Net proceeds for administrative services performed to others by the organs of the Ministry concerned with foreign trade and its affiliated bodies.4- Net proceeds of administrative expenses on imports collected by the organs and bodies referred to in item (3).5- The outcome of the final compensatory measures stipulated in Article (3) of Law No. 161 of 1998 on the protection of the national economy from the effects of harmful practices in international trade.6- The proceeds of the compensation stipulated in Article (15) of Law No. 118 of 1975 regarding import and export.The Fund shall have an independent budget, and its fiscal year begins at the beginning of the fiscal year of the State and ends at the end of it.The Fund shall have a special account in the Central Bank of Egypt or in one of the banks registered with it to be determined by a decision of the Minister concerned with foreign trade with the approval of the Minister of Finance. One fiscal year to another, and the disbursement of the Fund shall be made for the purposes approved by its Board of Directors and after the approval of the Prime Minister, and shall be subject to the control of the Central Auditing Organization.
(Article IV)
A central unit shall be established at the Ministry of Finance from representatives of the Customs Authority and the General Organization for Export and Import Control subject to the supervision of the Minister of Finance in conjunction with the Minister concerned with foreign trade, and its head shall be experts of the Ministry of Finance and its deputy head from the experts of the Ministry concerned with foreign trade, and it shall have sub-units in each of the sea, land and air ports and ports. a) Consider the applications submitted by exporters to benefit from the temporary admission system, and accept the registration in a register prepared for subscribers in this system. (b) Developing the temporary admission system in a manner that preserves the rights of the State and is consistent with the Customs Act. (c) Work on the speedy refund of taxes and fees provided for by law, the controls for completing such refund, and deciding on exporters’ complaints in this regard. (d) Follow-up on the results of the implementation of the temporary admission system and its impact on export development. (e) Benefiting from the experiences of other States in the application of that system. (F) Avoiding disputes over the conditions of application of the temporary admission and refund of customs taxes systems and achieving the unity of this application.The system of forming the central unit and sub-units, and the provisions governing the application of the two preceding paragraphs and the executive procedures for the management of the temporary admission and refund of customs taxes, shall be issued by a decision of the Prime Minister based on the proposal of the Minister of Finance and the Minister concerned with foreign trade.
(Article V)
GOEIC is responsible for the inspection and control procedures for exports and imports stipulated in Law No. 59 of 1960 on the organization of work with ionizing radiation and the prevention of its dangers, 113 of 1962 on the reorganization of the import, manufacture and trade of medicines, medical supplies and chemicals, 10 of 1966 on food control and regulation of its circulation, and the Agriculture Law promulgated by Law No. 53 of 1966, and 118 of 1975 on import and export. These procedures shall be regulated by a decision of the Prime Minister based on the proposal of the Minister concerned with foreign trade and after consultation with the concerned ministers.
(Article VI)
Without prejudice to the provisions of the Customs Law promulgated by Law by Decree No. 66 of 1963, the decisions of the Minister of Finance saving it, and the Civil Aviation Fees Law promulgated by Law No. 119 of 1983, exporters or importers may not be obliged to bear sums or provide guarantees in return for administrative services, performed on the occasion of export and import operations, except by a decision of the Minister concerned with foreign trade after presentation to the Prime Minister Three months and a fine not exceeding three thousand pounds or one of these two penalties, whoever requests or takes what is not due or exceeds the due in accordance with the provisions of the preceding paragraph with his knowledge thereof, and it is not permissible to initiate a criminal case or take any action therein, except at the request of the Minister concerned with foreign trade.
(Article VII)
In the application of the provision of the first paragraph of Article (116) bis (a) of the Penal Code, the minimum penalty of fine shall be one thousand pounds and the maximum penalty shall be five thousand pounds. In the application of the provision of the second paragraph of the same article, the minimum penalty of fine shall be two thousand pounds and the maximum twenty thousand pounds, if the damage affects the interests or funds related to the export activity.
(Article VIII)
The Price Balance Fund established at GOEIC by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 1770 of 1971 and the decisions regulating it shall be abolished, and all its rights and obligations, on the date of entry into force of this Law, shall be transferred to the aforementioned Export Development Fund.
(Article IX)
The Minister concerned with foreign trade shall issue the executive regulations of this Law by a decision thereof within three months from the date of its publication.
(Article X)
This law shall be published in the Official Gazette, and shall come into force after the lapse of three months from the date of its publication.This law shall be stamped with the seal of the State, and shall be implemented as one of its laws.Issued by the Presidency of the Republic on 7 Rabi’ al-Thani 1423 AH.