Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is working on an aid package for Egypt as a measure against growing migration across the Mediterranean Sea. Part of the EU’s motive, according to a senior diplomat, is to stem a potential new flow of refugees from Gaza. The Egyptian government, meanwhile, has made it clear that it has no plans to accept refugees from Gaza, and that the deal precedes the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
While details of the aid package and its requirements for Egypt has not been made public, it would reportedly mirror the controversial and ultimately failed agreements with Tunisia to prevent dinghies heading towards Europe.
“Our priority should also be to establish a strategic and mutually beneficial partnership with Egypt,” von der Leyen wrote in a letter to leaders of EU member states ahead of a summit on migration taking place Thursday and Friday, Politico reports.
“Egypt’s role is vital for the security and stability of the Middle East, it hosts a growing number of refugees, and we have a responsibility to support it,” she added.
She also promised to increase returns of migrants to their countries of origin.
Egypt hosts some 9 million refugees and is a transit country to Libya, from where the sea crossing to Europe is shorter.
Egypt is also severely burdened by a debt and foreign currency crisis. It is set to receive an IMF bailout totalling $5 billion. It is also being courted by global powers, from China to the U.S. to the EU, for both its oil and its role in the region in light of Hamas’ recent attacks on Israel. U.S. President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olf Scholz have publicly praised the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Chinese President Xi Jinping personally met Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly in Beijing, as well.
For Europe, the priority is ensuring that Egypt doesn’t become yet another failed state in northern Africa, further destabilizing the region and increasing migration pressure on Europe. The war in Israel has also made the problem more urgent, though Egypt has remained adamant that it will not take in Palestinian refugees.
“The issue here is stabilizing the country,” a diplomat close to the situation told The Financial Times. “[Egypt] is doing a good job with migration but is facing economic headwinds. This is about shoring up.”
The Financial Times also reports that the commission had received informal permission to proceed with talks with Egypt from the EU’s home affairs ministers earlier in October and that the subject had also been discussed informally on the sidelines of the peace summit in Cairo over the weekend.
When The Financial Times asked the commission about the agreement, a spokesperson pointed to a recent comment by vice-president Margaritis Schinas.
“We need to engage actively with Egypt to make sure that Egypt gets all the backing they merit for their very important role in the region as a transit country,” Schinas told reporters last week.
