Egypt–European Union relations

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European Union–Egypt relations
Map indicating locations of European Union and Egypt

European Union

Egypt

Egypt–European Union relations are the foreign relations between the country of Egypt and the European Union.[1]

Under the aegis of the Global Mediterranean Policy (GMP) launched in 1972, an agreement between the European Economic Community and Egypt was signed in January 1977.[2] The framework laid out by the 1995 Euro-Mediterranean Partnership paved the way for some modest advances in the EU–Egypt relations,[3] leading to a new association agreement signed on 25 June 2001 in the context of the Barcelona process, that entered into force in June 2004.[4] An EU–Egypt Action Plan also entered into force in 2007.[3]

The outbreak of the Arab Spring defied the traditional stability-driven policy conducted by the EU in the region, conveyed by the support to authoritarian rulers in office, including Egypt's Hosni Mubarak, eventually leading to a reassessment of the EU foreign policy in the region.[5]

Both sides share a common membership in the Union for the Mediterranean.

President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, in Cairo, 18 November 2023

In 2023, the European Commission and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi negotiated the creation of a "strategic partnership" between the EU and Egypt.[6][7][8]

Chronology of relations with the EU[edit]

Timeline
Date Event
25 June 2001 The EU and Egypt sign an Association Agreement[9]
June 2004 The Association Agreement enters into force[9]
March 2007 The European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plan is adopted[9]
2016 The EU and Egypt initiated a dialogue on future Partnership Priorities in line with the revised European Neighbourhood Policy[9]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Citations
  1. ^ Although there has been a large degree of integration between European Union member states, foreign relations is still a largely intergovernmental matter, with the 28 members controlling their own relations to a large degree.[citation needed] However, with the Union holding more weight as a single bloc, there are at times[vague] attempts to speak with one voice, notably on trade and energy matters. The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy personifies this role.
  2. ^ Zank 2010, p. 149.
  3. ^ a b Bordón 2019, p. 330.
  4. ^ Zank 2010, p. 152.
  5. ^ Abdel Ghafar & Jacobs 2019, pp. 1–2.
  6. ^ "EU: Egypt Support Risks Complicity in Abuses". Human Rights Watch. 19 December 2023.
  7. ^ "How the EU Supports Authoritarianism in Egypt". Carnegie Europe. 12 December 2023.
  8. ^ "EU Commission aims to sign strategic partnership with Egypt by February". Eunews. 23 January 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d "KEY MILESTONES EGYPT" (PDF). European Commission. 1 September 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
Bibliography