The EU does not criticize Egypt's human rights file, but it tries to encourage people to express their views and have awareness of their rights. It also tries to teach them how to exercise these rights. This comes within the framework of the European Neighborhood Policy, Klaus Ebermann Ambassador of the Delegation of the European Commission in Cairo, said. The European Commission will next month issue its annual report on the situation in all areas in the states that signed the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) Action Plan, including Egypt, he said in a meeting in the Press Syndicate yesterday. He has referred to the remarkable progress in the field of human rights in Egypt, pointing to efforts made by the National Council for Human Rights and the National Council for Women in this context.
He denied that the world financial crisis would affect the EU programs and projects in Egypt. Within the framework of the ENP Action Plan, € 558 million have been allocated for Egypt from 2007 to 2010, as Cairo is one of the biggest beneficiaries from the European Commission's financial support to the partners in the ENP. This sum is allocated for projects aiming at supporting reform in Egypt in the fields of democracy, human rights, justice, the economic competitiveness, education, health, and investment in energy, transport and environment.
The world crisis is expected to affect Egypt, Ebermann said, adding: "Egypt will, of course, witness a decline in the number of tourists and vessels crossing the Suez Canal. In addition, it will also suffer a decline in the balance of trade, which has already dropped from 6.5% to 4%."
However, Egypt's position is stronger compared to the EU and the Arab countries thanks to its wise monetary policy that enjoy some control. Ebermann has condemned the latest blasts in el-Hussein district, calling for not exaggerating its bad effects because "this occurs in different places in the world", citing the operations committed by the Basque separatist movement ETA in Spain and some Taliban elements in other areas. He described the perpetrators of these accidents as crazy.
Egypt is able to overcome this crisis, he said, pointing out that the EU offers many projects to boost tourism in Egypt. In addition, there is a twinning project with Egypt and Austria to support and rehabilitate tourist sites in Egypt. There is also a project for promoting tourism in southern Sinai. Ebermann has described Egypt-sponsored Gaza reconstruction conference as "a great and important event", as it will include delegations from 85 countries, in addition to a number of international and regional organizations including the EU, the UN, the Arab League and the World Bank.
