Cyprus Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in cyprus, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Trade Barriers
Last published date:

Republic of Cyprus:

A member of the European Union (EU) since 2004, most of the Republic of Cyprus’ trade barriers mirror those of other EU members.

Biotechnology

Cyprus adopted several restrictive biotechnology policies in recent years.  For example, Parliament passed a law in 2011 requiring local stores to place all bioengineered products with biotechnology content over 0.9 percent on separate shelves with a sign clearly declaring them as containing genetically modified organisms or “GMOs.”  Cyprus was the first EU country to introduce such legislation, so the law sets an important precedent, and the European Commission has raised no objections.  The practical effect of the law is to discourage store owners from stocking food products with biotech content.  In 2012, Parliament passed another law providing “zero tolerance” of biotech content in conventional seeds.  Under this legislation, conventional seeds imported into Cyprus cannot contain any amount of biotech seeds.  The law also requires a “Certificate of non-Biotechnology” for each shipment of seeds coming into Cyprus.  The ROC consistently advocates EU member states’ right of choice whether to allow growing of biotech crops on their soil, and votes against applications to the EU for new bioengineered crops.  At the end of 2015, the European Commission approved the ROC’s request to exclude the entire ROC territory from cultivating GMO crops.

Area Administered by Turkish Cypriots:

For more information on trade barriers, contact the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce.

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

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The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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