The EU's total portfolio of investments in Egypt stands at approximately €1.2 billion, covering various sectors such as education, water, energy, migration, rural development, and urban development, said EU Head of Delegation to Egypt, Ambassador Christian Berger on Sunday.
"The largest portion of our portfolio is in the water sector, where we support initiatives ranging from desalination to water treatment and infrastructure development," Berger told Amwal Al Ghad English.
Berger continued that the EU was working closely with Egypt to address water scarcity and support the Cairo Water Week, where countries come together to learn from Egypt's experiences.
Egypt as a Potential Renewable Energy Hub
As regards to the energy sector, the EU ambassador added: "We have agreements for the export of (Egypt's) liquefied natural gas and are collaborating on renewable energy projects,"
"We're going to open very soon a wind park in the Gulf of Suez." Ambassador Berger declared.
Egypt has great potential in producing green hydrogen. Berger said that the EU was working on linking the Egyptian and European electricity grids, which will have strategic and practical benefits.
"We're also working now on linking the Egyptian and the European electricity grids. There will be a cable in the Mediterranean linking Egypt and Greece."
"I think this is important not only for the export, but also for strategic thinking. You can link the two grids to balance the demand."
Infrastructure Sector
EU "has a lot of infrastructure projects at the moment, but it's partly funded through grants, partly funded through loans." Ambassador Berger stated.
For instance, the EU ambassador said: "... in Cairo, we are building the Metro Line. So, we have just finished Metro Line 3A. That is funded by the European Union with a grant, with a big loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB) and with a loan from the French Development Agency (AFD). We do the same in Alexandria with the renovation of the tram line."
The Importance of Vocational Education
The EU ambassador stated that that the EU sought strong emphasis on education, particularly vocational and technical training, to address the demand for skilled workers in various sectors.
The EU is running its third programme for vocational education. "There are big demands in Europe for technicians." Ambassador Berger noted. "For example, there's a shortfall of technicians who know how to install solar panels, how to work with this solar energy. Yes, people are there, but not enough because now it's a big demand for how to install what we call a heat pump."
"All these things are very important in educational training. We do a lot of work here with the (Egyptian) government, but also with partner countries like Italy, Germany."
EU-Egypt Co-operation in Migration File
"Our co-operation also extends to migration, where we provide support for border management, search and rescue operations, and legal migration pathways," Berger added in his remarks.
Women Empowerment File
Ambassador Berger has applauded the third edition of the Egyptian Women's Summit, saying there was a great participation of Egyptian ministers and leaders.
"This is basically already one of the achievements that we want to see. We want to see a higher number of women in leadership positions and roles. I think today was a good visible example of how this is being done here in Egypt. I think we can congratulate Egypt on having achieved this."
Under the vision 2030, there are many statements made by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi encouraging women to take up strong leadership position in their field, he noted.
"So, the summit I think goes now one step further. it also tries to help women, young women to find jobs and positions. So, I think this is a good combination. This is sort of a new element that we really appreciate. And I wish them whoever is here, whoever is taking part in this job market success."
"The summit itself, I think this time focuses on job opportunities. There are job markets out there, and on the one hand, but we also have a small exhibition to show the history of the Egyptian woman."
"I think the theme is in every woman there is (Queen) Isis. So, which I think is a good topic, but shows you how many women have managed to break what we call the glass ceiling in their fields. The first pilot, doctor, lawyer, and judge. I think it's a very good exhibition, which I hope can serve as inspiration for women who want to do this or if they want to break any other glass ceiling."
Ambassador Christian Berger. Head of the EU Delegation to Egypt, with Amwal Al Ghad English team on the sidelines of the Egyptian Women's Summit, which took place in Cairo on March 3-4, 2024 (Photo by Mariem Youssef)