As of: March 18, 2024, 2:47 p.m
By: Philipp Bräuner
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The EU has concluded a billion-dollar agreement with Egypt.
In return, Cairo undertakes to take action against migration to Europe.
Cairo - The EU has signed another deal with a North African country to curb illegal migration;
this time with Egypt.
The economically struggling country is to receive around 7.4 billion euros from the European Union.
The agreement is also intended to strengthen economic and political cooperation.
Migration deal with Egypt - von der Leyen celebrates agreement worth 74 billion euros
The money should be paid over the next four years, at least 200 million euros of which will flow directly into close cooperation on the issue of migration, said Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday (March 17) in Cairo.
In addition to working on legal migration programs, in this regard they rely on "Egypt's full commitment to controlling illegal migration, from border management to combating smuggling and repatriation."
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen signed an agreement with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo.
© Dirk Waem/dpa
It is not the first agreement that the EU has concluded with other countries for cooperation on migration.
The EU's migration agreements with Turkey and most recently with Tunisia and Mauritania serve as a template for the agreement.
EU migration deal with Egypt: Pro Asyl voices criticism
Criticism of the cooperation came from the human rights organization Pro Asyl, among others.
The
Funke media group
's expert for Europe, Karl Kopp, told the EU that the EU was "systematically relying on the wrong partnerships to ward off those seeking protection": "The policy of EU deals with dictators is shabby, narrow-minded and corrupt," he complained.
For Egypt and President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the agreement must be seen as a success.
Not only does the republic find itself surrounded by conflicts in the immediate vicinity of Sudan, Libya, Gaza and Israel.
The country is also in a deep economic crisis.
Refugees are coming to the EU from North Africa via a new route
With regard to refugee movements, this had recently caused particular concern in Greece.
According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), around 1,000 people are said to have crossed to Crete on a new route from Tobruk in Libya - apparently they were primarily people of Egyptian origin.