Food safety regulations and fish trade: Evidence from European Union-Africa trade relations

The preponderance of food regulations in international trade and the stringency in standards application has trade effects for Africa. The proliferation of preferential tariffs among trading partners has brought to fore the importance and increasing use of technical regulations in global trade. These regulations have their pros and cons for different economic agents. To this end, this study investigated the export effects of the EU fish standard regulations for Africa in a two-step Helpman et al. (2008) model. The study covers 52 African countries from 1995 to 2012. It finds that, fish standards are trade enhancing at the extensive margins, but not the case at the intensive margins. Thus, the quality standards' institutions must be strengthened in Africa through adequate development of science and technology in order accelerate export intensity.