Contrary to expectations for a continuation of the import license system in Algeria which had been introduced in 2016, Algerian trade minister Mohamed Benmeradi has announced the abolition as of January 1, 2018, of the system for all products, except for imports of vehicles.
The official reasons for this decision, as reported on December 19 by Tout sur l'Algérie (TSA), are that this system "has shown its limits", it was a bureaucratic system that "lacked transparency", and sometimes has caused supply problems, leading to price hikes in the Algerian market. The aim of the license system was to boost domestic production and to increase customs revenues.
This is good news for Italian rebar producers, for which Algeria is a traditional export market. The Algerian market is of strategic importance for European producers, especially as it is protected from Turkish competition by an import duty on rebar from Turkey.