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Libya and Italy discussed ways to obtain the necessary licenses for Libyan fish products to enter the European markets without an intermediary.
Currently there is an export ban on Libyan fish aimed at protecting domestic fish prices. However, without the export ban, Libyan fish is exported to neighbouring countries at low added value and in turn re-exported by those countries at a higher value to Europe.
At the recent Zuwara Maritime Expo 2022, there was a call for a removal of what was seen as a misplaced ban which has encouraged the smuggling of fish to neighbouring countries.
The two countries also discussed ways develop facilities for landing, processing, and transporting Libya’s fish products.
The discussions came during yesterday’s meeting of Undersecretary of the Ministry of Marine Wealth for Institutional Affairs, Abdul Rahman Abu Shaala, in his Tripoli office with a team of Italian experts of the “Rebuild” project launched by the Nicosia Initiative, to support Libyan municipalities.
The meeting was attended by experts from marine resources, representatives of the Ministry of Local Government and the Department of International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The meeting discussed topics related to the project and the plans needed to implement the initiative. Marine wealth officials explained the general reality of the sector and the technical support it needs to develop it within the framework of European-Libyan partnerships.
