First EU-Egypt summit to strengthen Gaza diplomacy

The EU wants to talk to Egypt about supporting humanitarian efforts in Gaza

The EU is keen to talk to Egypt about supporting humanitarian efforts in Gaza. REUTERS

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa are scheduled to host Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El Sisi in Brussels on Wednesday for the first EU-Egypt summit.

The EU's eagerness to strengthen ties with Egypt highlights Egypt's important role in regional diplomacy and above all its "central role" in the recent Gaza ceasefire agreement, said Anthony Dworkin, senior policy fellow at the European Council for Foreign Relations.

The bloc also wants better ties with Egypt for other reasons, Mr Dworkin added, including "the risks of instability and migration flows if the economy worsens, as well as the country's potential role as an exporter of green electricity and hydrogen."

The EU and Egypt signed a strategic and comprehensive partnership in March 2024 designed to boost Egypt's economy and prevent illegal migration to Europe.

The bilateral summit is scheduled to start at 6pm local time, with press remarks by Mr Costa, Ms von der Leyen, and Mr El Sisi later in the evening. They will then hold an informal dinner with EU leaders who are in Brussels to attend the European Council scheduled for Thursday.

The focus of the EU-Egypt summit will be political and economic partnerships as well as global challenges including the situation in the Middle East, Ukraine, multilateralism, trade, migration and security, according to the EU council.

“Our first bilateral summit will be an excellent opportunity to further deepen our partnership, co-operate in addressing our common challenges and unleash the full potential of our relationship,” Mr Costa said in a statement.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, right, hosted European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen, left, in March 2024 for the signature of a new partnership. Photo: AP

The EU is keen to talk to Egypt about supporting humanitarian efforts in Gaza, including aid access and post-war reconstruction, The National understands. The bloc will be hosting in Brussels on November 20 a donor conference in support of the Palestinian Authority. As the PA’s leading donor, the EU has been pushing behind the scenes for more financial support to the PA from Arab states.

The EU will also be represented at a separate conference for Gaza’s reconstruction organised in parallel by Egypt next month. It remains unclear to what extent Egypt and the EU will be co-ordinating the two conferences. The EU has been lobbying for a seat in US President Donald Trump's so-called "board of peace" set to oversee a Palestinian technocratic committee that would govern Gaza.

The EU-Egypt summit will be preceded by a side event on investment ties. The opening ceremony will include speeches by European Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubrakva Suica, Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, and Egypt’s Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade Hassan El Khatib.

On Monday, Ms Suica announced that she will chair a conference on November 28 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Barcelona process, a 1995 initiative to strengthen ties between the EU and the southern Mediterranean. This is often described as the only organisation where Palestine and Israel sit together. The situation in Gaza is expected be on the agenda. Ms Suica has also said that the EU will tighten conditions in disbursing funds to the PA.