EU announces $8bn package for Egypt as part of deal to check migrant flows
Al Jazeera
The agreement, which lifts the EU’s relationship with Egypt to a ‘strategic partnership’, has drawn criticism from rights groups.
The European Union has announced a 7.4 billion-euro ($8.06bn) aid package and an upgraded relationship with Egypt, part of a new deal to stem migrant flows to Europe that has been criticised by rights groups.
The deal is scheduled to be signed during a visit on Sunday by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and leaders of Belgium, Italy, Austria, Cyprus and Greece, according to officials.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi met separately with von der Leyen and other European leaders before the signing ceremony.
The aid package includes both grants and loans over the next three years, with the EU saying it is upgrading its relationship with the Arab world’s most populous country to a “strategic partnership”.
The proposed funding includes 5 billion euros ($5.45bn) in concessional loans and 1.8 billion euros ($1.96bn) of investments, according to a summary of the plan published by the EU. An additional 600 million euros ($654m) would be provided in grants, including 200 million euros ($218m) for managing migration issues.
