"Wednesday's summit was held a week after several European leaders, including European Council President Antonio Costa, flew to the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to attend the signing of Donald Trump's Gaza plan, with the ceasefire and eventual reconstruction of the enclave high on Europe's agenda. In Brussels, Costa commended Egypt for its "vital stabilizing role across the wider region," calling the country a "leading voice in the global scene.""
"The EU's public embrace of el-Sissi, however, has irked activists like Human Rights Watch, which has called out Egypt's "systematic repression" of dissenting voices. Claudio Francavilla, associate director for EU advocacy at Human Rights Watch, told DW the EU's money was "bankrolling authoritarianism to keep migrants and asylum-seekers away from Europe's shores." According to the latest data from Frontex, irregular migration into the EU fell by 21% in the first eight months of 2025"
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi visited Brussels for the first official EU-Egypt summit, where the EU approved substantial aid and investment packages. Officials signed a memorandum of understanding for 4 billion ($4.66 billion) as part of a strategic 7.4 billion partnership agreed in March 2024. The summit followed European participation in a Sharm el-Sheikh event tied to Donald Trump's Gaza plan, with ceasefire and reconstruction priorities. European leaders praised Egypt's regional stabilizing role. Human Rights Watch warned that EU funding risks supporting systematic repression, even as Frontex reported a 21% drop in irregular migration into the EU.
Read at www.dw.com
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