The visit to Egypt by the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni – expected in Cairo tomorrow – will take place as part of a joint European mission, in which the President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen, the rotating President of the EU Council and Prime Minister will take part Belgian Alexander De Croo, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer and Cypriot Prime Minister Nikos Christodoulidīs. The agenda of the visit is divided into a European segment – with the signing of the joint declaration which will lay the foundations for a EU-Egypt strategic partnership – and a bilateral Italy-Egypt segment, during which various agreements related to the Mattei Plan will be concluded.
Bilaterals on the Mattei Plan
The Prime Minister's mission also represents an opportunity for an exchange of understandings bilateral agreements attributable to the implementation of the Mattei Plan for Africa. The agreements that will be signed between Italy and Egypt concern the six pillars of the Plan: education/training; healthcare; water and hygiene; agriculture; power; infrastructure.
Moreover, Egypt – as noted by Palazzo Chigi – represents a fundamental partner for the management of regional crises (Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Libya) and the geopolitical stabilization of the Mediterranean area. He is also a primary interlocutor on migration, energy and economic partnership. Following Eni's gas discoveries, Egypt has become an exporting nation, is increasing gas supplies to Italy and supports the common use of gas resources in the Eastern Mediterranean, also through its participation in the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum, of which Italy is a founding member.
Egypt, it is also noted, is strongly committed to the production and export of renewable energy: it has created one of the largest photovoltaic plants in the world (Benban solar park) and is investing in wind farms in various parts of the country and in the start-up of production of ammonia and green hydrogen.
Spotlight on the migrant dossier
On the table tomorrow, the spotlight will naturally also be on the migrant dossier. Egypt is one of the main countries of origin and transit for migrants heading to Italy and Europe. At a European level, the EU Commission, Palazzo Chigi points out, supports Egypt in strengthening its land and sea border control capabilities as well as in conducting “Search and Rescue” operations. Egypt has expressed its willingness to collaborate to counter the transit of irregular migrants.
Egypt strategic EU partner
Relations between the EU and Egypt are governed at a bilateral level by the Association Agreement, signed on 25 June 2001 and in force since 1 June 2004. Egypt is one of only two countries in the Southern Neighborhood – together with Jordan -, with where Partnership Priorities for the 2021-2027 financial period have been approved. EU-Egypt relations will be elevated to the level of “global and strategic partnership”, starting from the joint declaration that will be signed during tomorrow's visit. The objective is to accompany Egypt's economic and social reforms and help mitigate the impact of the current crises taking place in Africa and the Middle East.
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