EU ambassador pledges support for Egypt, addresses regional tensions
The European Union (EU) has pledged to provide significant economic support to Egypt while addressing regional tensions, including the ongoing conflict in Gaza and the stalled negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), EU Ambassador to Egypt Christian Berger announced at a press conference Thursday.
Berger emphasized the EU’s commitment to strengthening the partnership with Egypt, following its elevation to a strategic partnership status. “We are about to provide economic financing packages to support the Egyptian economy in the context of the geopolitical tensions in the region,” he said.
Berger also highlighted the EU’s efforts to work with Egypt on a variety of fronts, “We are working with Egypt to enhance our partnership at the level of each EU member state, which will strengthen our relationship with Egypt,” he added.
The ambassador acknowledged that the Russia-Ukraine conflict has altered the EU’s approach to its partnerships, extending beyond economics to political collaboration. “The tensions stemming from the Russian-Ukrainian war have changed the way the EU works with its partner countries on a political level, not just on an economic level,” he said.
EU-Egypt Energy, Water, and Green Hydrogen
The EU is focused on supporting Egypt’s energy sector, particularly in natural gas, renewable energy, and green hydrogen, which Berger sees as areas of significant potential for the country. “The EU places great importance on the energy sector in Egypt, especially in the areas of gas, renewable energy, and green hydrogen, which offer significant potential for the country,” he said.
The EU has signed a Memoranda of Understanding on the production and export of green hydrogen in Egypt, which Berger called “major agreements.” He also highlighted the EU’s dedication to aiding Egypt in addressing water-related challenges, “Water management, scarcity, and sanitation are areas we will be focusing on with Egypt in the coming period. We will be providing support in all possible ways.”
Supporting Peace Efforts and Condemning Violence
Addressing the ongoing conflict in Gaza, Berger expressed solidarity with Egypt’s call for a ceasefire. “We stand with Egypt in its call for a ceasefire in Gaza amid the escalating geopolitical tensions in the region. We are pushing for a prisoner exchange and an end to the violence,” he said.
The EU is also working to facilitate an agreement on opening a crossing between Gaza and the West Bank. “We are working to facilitate an agreement on establishing a crossing between Gaza and the West Bank. We believe that there must be a political solution and a positive narrative regarding the suffering of Gaza,” Berger said.
He expressed concern over the growing tensions between Iran and Israel. “There is a grave danger that could arise in the region as a result of the escalating tensions between Iran and Israel. We support preventing nuclear proliferation by Iran in the region, and we are concerned about the possibility of the conflict reaching EU countries,” he said.
EU-Egypt Collaboration on Libyan and Sudanese Crises
Berger emphasized the EU’s close collaboration with Egypt on the Libyan and Sudanese crises. “We are working togetherto find shared political solutions and reach agreements between the warring parties. The events in the region have led to numerous crises in the Middle East, and many displaced people are fleeing to Egypt, raising concerns about migration due to war.”
He noted that Egypt is providing support to these displaced people and is working to find solutions to the crises alongside other actors. “Egypt is now providing support even to displaced persons and is trying to offer assistance alongside efforts to resolve the crisis. There is future collaboration planned to provide EU support to Egypt to assist displaced people.”
Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and Support for Palestine
Berger addressed the ongoing negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), saying, “We support Egypt’s stance on the GERD issue and support the framework agreement that has been signed, which concerns the Blue Nile and the White Nile. This is our position on the issue, in agreement with Egypt, to find a mechanism for resolving this crisis.”
He explained that the EU previously acted as a mediator at the request of Sudan, but Ethiopia declined EU involvement. “We acted as mediators at the request of Sudan, but Ethiopia did not agree to EU involvement. Our role now is only to observe the negotiations, which have essentially stalled. We offered to provide technical advice for the negotiations, but this was rejected by Ethiopia.”
Berger expressed the EU’s strong support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “The Organization of Islamic Cooperation and Egypt support the two-state solution as the way forward for resolving the conflict between Israel and Gaza. We strongly support the creation of a Palestinian state and are committed to providing necessary assistance to build its institutions in the future.”
Trade and Economic Support
Berger acknowledged the trade dispute between Egypt and the EU regarding a potential anti-dumping duty on Egyptian steel imports. “The anti-dumping case initiated by the European Commission against Egypt concerning hot-rolled flat steel imports is a commercial matter first and foremost, and it is being discussed between the Egyptian Ministry of Trade and the Commission. We believe that the issue of the Egyptian pound’s exchange rate against the dollar is at the heart of this dispute.”
He reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to supporting Egypt in this matter. “We will work to provide sufficient support to Egypt in this case in the coming period.”
Berger announced the anticipated size of the EU’s financing packages for Egypt in the period between 2025 and 2027, totalling approximately €7.4 billion. “These packages include €5 billion in concessional and development loans to the Egyptian government to help it improve its credit rating in the coming period. Another 1.8 billion euros will be directed towards investment guarantees for companies seeking to expand their operations in Egypt across all sectors, in order to help Egypt reduce its trade deficit. Additionally, €600 million will be allocated to support and development programs, including ‘Hayat Karima’ [a government initiative to improve the lives of less fortunate Egyptians], along with an additional €200 million outside of the financing packages that the EU will provide to Egypt for collaboration on migration issues.”
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