Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi arrived in Brussels on Tuesday for the first-ever EU-Egypt summit, a landmark meeting aimed at deepening the strategic and comprehensive partnership between the two sides. The summit, to be held on Wednesday, 22 October, is seen as the culmination of a process that officially began with the launch of the partnership in Cairo in March 2024. Al-Sisi will be hosted by European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. A central focus of the visit will be economic cooperation, with a large-scale business forum on investment opportunities in Egypt scheduled to take place on the sidelines. The forum is expected to draw major European companies, particularly from the tourism, infrastructure, renewable energy (including green hydrogen), and digital transformation sectors. The summit provides Cairo with an opportunity to promote Egypt as a stable and attractive investment destination in the region and to boost its exports to European markets. The Egyptian delegation is expected to highlight the country's geostrategic location and its extensive ties in Africa and the Arab world to underscore its capacity as a reliable economic partner for the EU. "Egypt is a strategic partner for the European Union," the European Council said in a press statement. "Our longstanding ties are rooted in shared history, geography, and culture, as well as the strong bonds between our peoples." In addition to economic issues, the leaders are expected to discuss a range of global and regional challenges, including the situation in the Middle East and Ukraine, as well as cooperation on migration and security. The EU's ambassador to Egypt, Angelina Eichhorst, said the signing of the strategic partnership in March 2024 was an "unprecedented step towards a true partnership." She noted that the agreement was accompanied by a significant financial aid package of 7.4 billion euros, the second-largest the EU has provided to a non-member state after Ukraine. This initiative "reflects global confidence in the Egyptian economy and confirms Egypt's ability to face challenges and achieve sustainable growth," she added. During his visit, President Al-Sisi is scheduled to hold a series of meetings with senior EU officials, several European leaders, and King Philippe of Belgium. The 2024 Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership covers six pillars of cooperation: political relations, economic stability, trade and investments, migration and mobility, security, and demography and human capital. As part of the commitment to intensify political dialogue, it was decided to hold an EU-Egypt Summit every two years. The EU was Egypt's largest trading partner in 2024, accounting for 22% of its total trade, and was the main destination for Egyptian exports. The strategic partnership aims to fully implement and unlock the potential of the Free Trade Area agreed upon in the 2004 Association Agreement.
