Egypt's Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation Rania Al Mashat held a meeting with a high-level European Commission delegation led by Director General for the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf (DG MENA) Stefano Sannino and Director General for Economic and Financial Affairs Annika Eriksgård to discuss future cooperation. Talks covered strategic Egypt-EU partnerships, particularly the activation of the investment guarantee mechanism, discussions on the second phase of the EU's Macro-Financial Assistance (MFA) programme, and ongoing joint projects. Al-Mashat highlighted the €1.8 billion in investment guarantees under the European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus (EFSD+) and Egypt's readiness to maximise its benefits. Discussions also included Egypt's accession to the Horizon Europe research and technical support programme, as well as progress on the €1.6 billion Abu Qir Metro project in Alexandria, co-financed by the European Investment Bank (EIB) and other international lenders. Al-Mashat reaffirmed Egypt's commitment to the Egypt-EU strategic partnership, with ongoing cooperation projects worth €1.3 billion in key sectors such as transport, water, agriculture, SMEs, renewable energy, and social protection. She added that Egypt is finalising structural reforms to prepare for the second phase of the EU MFA programme. Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English Subediting: M. S. Salama
