European auditors have sharply criticised EU aid allocated to Egypt, saying it has had little impact on corruption and human rights abuses. In 2007-2013 the EU sent about 1bn euros (£854m) in aid to Egypt - one of the biggest recipients of EU aid. But the European Court of Auditors said the EU aid had "done little" to tackle Egypt's "serious problems in the area of corruption". They said EU aid to tackle human rights abuses "was largely unsuccessful". The audit covered the final period of former President Hosni Mubarak's rule and the 2011 Arab Spring uprising which toppled him from power. The European Commission and European External Action Service (EEAS), which manage the EU aid allocations, largely accepted the report's findings, but said the continuing political turmoil had delayed progress. In their comments on it, they pointed out that since the January 2011 unrest in Egypt, "there has been a slow-down, if not a paralysis, of the decision-making process" at government level and "an increased aversion towards civil society and human rights more broadly".
