Egypt and the European Union held their first summit on Wednesday in Brussels, focusing on security, trade and migration as well as stability in Gaza, as human rights groups expressed concern over violations in Egypt and the wider region.
Speaking from Brussels, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said that Egypt had played a key role in stopping migration to Europe.
He said that Europe had not been significantly affected by the consequences of illegal migration "thanks to Egypt’s efforts on this issue, particularly the prevention of any migration boats departing since September 2016".
Sisi added that this had happened "despite Egypt hosting around ten million foreigners who have fled from countries suffering from crises and instability".
For her part, European Commission Vice-President Kaja Kallas expressed the EU’s "appreciation for Egypt’s vital role in achieving a ceasefire and stability in Gaza and Sudan".
EU and Egypt ‘not addressing human rights’
However, Amnesty International said in a statement that both the EU and Egypt needed to address human rights issues at the summit.
It said that Sisi should call on EU leaders to "take tangible and effective measures to bring an end to Israel’s ongoing genocide against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip" and the "cruel system of apartheid" which Israel has imposed on Palestinians.
The EU has so far failed to impose any sanctions on Israel over its genocidal war on Gaza.
At the same time, Amnesty said that the EU needed to pressure Sisi over continued human rights abuses in Egypt including "rampant arbitrary detentions, unfair trials and harsh prison sentences of critics".
EU aid to Egypt
Sisi and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expected to announce increased European economic assistance to Egypt and Egypt’s admission to the EU’s Horizons research incubation programme, a 175 billion euro (US$202.7 billion) fund for scientific research and innovation in fields from quantum technology to the space industry.
The summit comes as the 27-nation bloc has sought to forge new trade and security deals amidst geopolitical tumult sparked by the combative policies of US President Donald Trump and export controls from Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Part of its approach is a so-called Pact for the Mediterranean in which the EU seeks deeper integration with countries from Morocco to Turkey, including offering European aid in exchange for efforts to slow migration to Europe.
In March 2024, a new EU-Egypt Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership was announced.
Egypt is currently weathering soaring inflation, and Israel’s genocidal war on neighbouring Gaza has caused instability and tension in the country.
Sisi told European Council President Antonio Costa and last week that US President Donald Trump's ceasefire proposal which aims at ending Israel’s two-year war in Gaza, represents the "last chance" for peace in the region and reiterated his call for a two-state solution, saying Palestinians have the right to an independent state.
Egypt’s regional and economic woes
The EU is Egypt’s largest trading partner. During the signing of a joint declaration last year, Brussels announced a 7.4 billion euros (about US$8.6 billion) aid package for cash-strapped Egypt in the form of loans, investment and support for specific programs such as migration.
The deal injected much-needed funds into the Egyptian economy, which has been hit hard by years of government austerity, the coronavirus pandemic, the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and most recently, Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
Houthi attacks on shipping routes in the Red Sea have also slashed Suez Canal revenues, which is a major source for foreign currency, by forcing traffic away from the canal and around the tip of Africa. Both Brussels and Cairo have serious concerns over migration.
Arrivals of asylum-seekers and other migrants fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East and Africa for Europe over the past decade helped fuel rising far-right populism and led to stricter border controls that have drawn heavy criticism from human rights groups.