Egyptian Officials Held a Meeting with European Union to Discuss Future Projects for 2020

Egyptian officials held a meeting with European Union Ambassador to Egypt Ivan Surkos to discuss future projects between Egypt and the European Union for 2020.

The meeting was attended by representatives for 11 ministries and tackled future projects in the water, energy, trade and local development sectors.

The 110 million euros-worth projects come as part of the EU 500 million euros Single Support Framework (SSF) to Egypt during the period between 2017 and 2020.

Surkos explained that the meeting was held to agree on projects between Egypt and the EU for the year 2020, which aim at boosting the capacity of government bodies to effectively achieve reforms in the overall framework.

He also pointed out that the SSF is in line with Egypt’s vision for sustainable development.

“My neighbor’s strength is my strength. We believe this in the EU, and we apply it in our external relations,” said Surkos.

“Egypt is our most important neighbor in the Southern Neighborhood, and we have strategic relations that have developed considerably over the years,” he noted during the celebration of Europe Day.

He stressed that the EU is working to increase this partnership with Egypt, pointing to its keenness to support the private sector in Egypt.

The EU coordinates on yearly basis with the Ministry of Investment and International Cooperation, future projects, Surkos said, stressing that the EU is a reliable partner of Egypt.

Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mohamed Shaker, for his part, said that the main objective of cooperation with the EU is to increase reliance on renewable energy, increase its share of the total energy produced in Egypt and improve the efficiency of production and distribution.

While Minister of Investment and International Cooperation Sahar Nasr said the EU is one of the most important international development partners and provides funding worth half a billion dollars during the current funding strategy until 2020.

She said the SSF funds water and sanitation projects, civil society, vocational training, administrative reform, internal trade, cultural heritage and public finance.

Nasr added that an international conference will be held in the Suez Canal in cooperation with the EU, explaining that it will focus on the renewable energy sector, facilitating measures to inject more investments into Egypt and supporting the local development program.