Home Banking & Finance Egypt inks four financing agreements with the EU

Egypt inks four financing agreements with the EU

The first agreement is the “cross-border cooperation program for the Mediterranean Sea basin phase III for 2021-2027

Egypt inks four financing agreements with the EU
The agreements were signed by International Cooperation Minister Rania el Mashat and EU Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi. Image credit: Claudio Divizia/ Shutterstock.com

Egypt’s Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli witnessed the inking of four agreements financed by grants provided by the European Union (EU).

This came on the fringe of the Egypt-EU Investment Conference, which kicked off this morning in the presence of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported on Saturday.

The agreements were signed by International Cooperation Minister Rania el Mashat and EU Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi.

The first agreement is the “cross-border cooperation program for the Mediterranean Sea basin phase III for 2021-2027,” under which the European Union will provide EUR 263 million in funding. This represents 89% of the total program budget, which stands at EUR 292 million for 15 countries.

The second agreement is concerned with the “EU support to youth employment and skills in Egypt” program, which is a total of EUR 25 million. The program aims to upskill young people, including technical and vocational skills for employment, decent jobs, and entrepreneurship.

The third agreement is on the “EU support to the next generation” at an EUR 8 million grant aiming to support Egypt’s national approach to child protection systems by implementing activities focused on child protection frameworks, combating child labour, and providing a comprehensive approach to ensuring children’s rights to education, health care, nutrition, and housing.

The fourth agreement is on the “special measures to enhance the African continent’s capacity to manufacture vaccines and medicines and apply health technologies” project at a EUR 3 million grant.

It aims to enhance local vaccine manufacturing, support an enabling environment for the production of medical and health technologies, and develop skills through research and development.