Brussels: Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation Rania el Mashat has met with European Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka ‚¬¦ uica and European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Skela to discuss strengthening the strategic partnership between Egypt and the European Union.
According to State Information Service Egypt, the meeting took place on the sidelines of the 2025 Global Gateway Forum in Brussels. Discussions centered on EU-Egypt relations, developments in the Middle East, particularly efforts to end the war in Gaza, and Egypt's role in regional stability.
Minister Mashat stated that the EU has committed £7.4 billion in strategic investments across six priority areas, including political cooperation, economic stability, migration, and education. She also mentioned that a new cooperation framework (2025-2027) is being prepared, which will include £600 million in grants.
Mashat highlighted the disbursement of the first £1 billion tranche under the EU's Macro-Financial Assistance and Budget Support Mechanism last December. Egypt is collaborating with the EU to implement 87 reforms, funded as part of the mechanism's second phase, estimated at £4 billion.
She reviewed Egypt's Narrative for Economic Development, aligning the government's work plan with Egypt's Vision 2030. The focus is on sectors like manufacturing, tourism, agriculture, energy, and ICT, and boosting the private sector's role.
The Minister emphasized the importance of the strategic and comprehensive partnership agreement signed in March 2024, praising the EU as a crucial development partner, with an ongoing cooperation portfolio valued at £1.3 billion. Current cooperation supports key sectors such as transportation, water, agriculture, SMEs, renewable energy, and social protection.