Egypt–European Union relations

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.

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

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]

References

Citations

^ 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.
^ Zank 2010, p. 149.
^ a b Bordón 2019, p. 330.
^ Zank 2010, p. 152.
^ Abdel Ghafar & Jacobs 2019, pp. 1–2.
^ "EU: Egypt Support Risks Complicity in Abuses". Human Rights Watch. 19 December 2023.
^ "How the EU Supports Authoritarianism in Egypt". Carnegie Europe. 12 December 2023.
^ "EU Commission aims to sign strategic partnership with Egypt by February". Eunews. 23 January 2024.
^ a b c d "KEY MILESTONES EGYPT" (PDF). European Commission. 1 September 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2020.

Bibliography

Abdel Ghafar, Adel; Jacobs, Anna (2019). "EU–North Africa Relations in an Age of Turbulence". In Abdel Ghafar, Adel (ed.). The European Union and North Africa: Prospects and Challenges. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press. ISBN 9780815736967.
Bordón, Javier (2019). "The European Union and the Egyptian Neighbour: assessing the characterization of resilience as an external action priority" (PDF). Paix et Sécurité Internationales (7). Paix et sécurité internationales: Journal of International Law and International Relations: 323–348. ISSN 2341-0868.
Zank, Wolfang (2010). "Cooperation or Silent Rivalry? The EU and the USA in the Mediterranean – The Case of Egypt" (PDF). Perspectives on Federalism. 2 (3). ISSN 2036-5438.