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Egypt’s Central Bank Says New Import Rules Will Be Applied in March

People walk past the Egyptian Central Bank in downtown Cairo on November 3, 2016. (Getty Images)
People walk past the Egyptian Central Bank in downtown Cairo on November 3, 2016. (Getty Images)
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Egypt’s Central Bank Says New Import Rules Will Be Applied in March

People walk past the Egyptian Central Bank in downtown Cairo on November 3, 2016. (Getty Images)
People walk past the Egyptian Central Bank in downtown Cairo on November 3, 2016. (Getty Images)

Egypt's central bank governor has said new rules requiring importers to use letters of credit will be implemented starting in March despite complaints from business groups and traders that the measure could inflate their costs.

Central Bank Governor Tarek Amer urged businessmen to "reconcile their situations and not waste time in controversies that have no relation to the stability of Egypt's foreign trade and its sound performance," according to a statement reported by state news agency MENA.

The statement followed instructions from the central bank that were circulated by traders and reported by local media instructing banks to only accept letters of credit from importers.

Importers are currently able to use a cash-against-documents system that traders say requires less payment in advance.

A group of trade and business associations had complained in a letter to the prime minister on Monday that the new rules could exacerbate supply chain problems, damage competitiveness and delay import shipments.

Egypt has struggled to contain a rising import bill and a current account deficit that widened to $18.4 billion in the 2020/21 financial year from $11.4 billion the previous year.

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French People Need to Work More to Boost Growth, Minister Says

French Minister for the Economy, Finance and Industry Antoine Armand arrives to attend a governmental seminar at the Hotel Matignon in Paris, on November 4, 2024. (AFP)
French Minister for the Economy, Finance and Industry Antoine Armand arrives to attend a governmental seminar at the Hotel Matignon in Paris, on November 4, 2024. (AFP)
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French People Need to Work More to Boost Growth, Minister Says

French Minister for the Economy, Finance and Industry Antoine Armand arrives to attend a governmental seminar at the Hotel Matignon in Paris, on November 4, 2024. (AFP)
French Minister for the Economy, Finance and Industry Antoine Armand arrives to attend a governmental seminar at the Hotel Matignon in Paris, on November 4, 2024. (AFP)

People in France must work more, Finance Minister Antoine Armand said on Monday, adding that the fact that French people worked less than their counterparts in Europe was harming the economy due to lower tax contributions and social security payments.

The government is examining reforms to speed up its sluggish economic growth, although changes to work practices are often opposed by trade unions.

"On average, a French person works clearly less than his neighbors, over the course of a year," Armand told C News TV.

"The consequence of this is fewer social security payments, less money to finance our social models, fewer tax receipts and ultimately fewer jobs and less economic growth."

France, the euro zone's second biggest economy, wants to cut its public deficit to a targeted 5% of GDP by 2025.

The country's 35-hour work week, introduced in 2000, has typically been fiercely defended by trade unions, while reforms to France's pension system have also faced widespread protests.

"Let's all work a bit more, collectively speaking, starting off by making sure that everyone respects the working hours that they have been given, in all sectors," Armand said.