CAIRO, May 13, 2018 (MENA) - Head of the European Union (EU) Delegation to Egypt Ambassador Ivan Surkos said the EU has contributed €425 million to the establishment of water projects in Egypt during the recent years. In his speech during the inauguration of the first Cairo water week conference, Surkos said the challenges facing the irrigation system in Egypt are very difficult hence new initiatives to overcome them are needed. He underlined that the launching of the first Cairo water week conference will contribute to finding new ideas that can be applied to the irrigation system in cooperation with the Egyptian government, noting that the water sector is one of the most important projects which the EU works on in Egypt. He stressed the need to face the water scarcity challenge and ensure that water is available to all people, pointing out that the EU will cooperate with Egypt in this regard. Officials from ministries, universities, international organizations and companies, as well as scientists, experts, policy makers and representatives of the private sector participated in the event. The conference addresses many water-related issues and focuses on finding solutions to water problems and raising awareness about regional and international water security challenges.