The European Union Delegation to Egypt and Team Europe celebrate Europe Day 2022

By : Heba Abdel Fattah

The European Union Delegation to Egypt celebrate Europe Day on May 9 th with a series of online and physical
activities in Cairo and Alexandria throughout the month of May. This year’s Europe Day celebration also marks 45 years of EU-Egypt bilateral relations and 50 years of regional cooperation. The Delegation of the European Union to Egypt have been working together as Team Europe with EU Member States and the European Financial institutions to mark these important anniversaries.

The focal theme this year revolves around climate and environment in order to highlight the EU’s commitments in achieving a green, sustainable and inclusive transition. This comes timely with preparations of the landmark COP27 underway, to be hosted by Egypt in Sharm El Sheikh in November 2022. We are also placing great emphasis on youth, as 2022 is the EU Year of the Youth.

Ambassador Christian Berger, Head of the European Union Delegation to Egypt, said on the occasion “The visions and ideals behind the creation of the European Union 64 years ago are celebrated each year on May 9 th . This is the day when Robert Shuman presented his idea in 1950 on how to put an end to centuries of wars and bloodshed among European peoples. This vision of peace and an ever closer Union remains just as relevant today”.

During this unprecedented Russian aggression against Ukraine, a sovereign and independent country and its detrimental effects are being felt throughout the world, the European Union “stands with all our partners that are affected by this war” Berger added. We are making available to countries in the region, particularly those hit by the disruption of grain deliveries, financial support under a dedicated Food and Resilience Facility. In the case of Egypt, it is €100 million. This comes just after the support to confront Covid-19, with deliveries from the EU of over 29 million of doses of vaccine to Egypt thus far.

The EU-Egypt cooperation has a current active portfolio of more than €1 billion of grants, loans and investments in Egypt.

Online Activities in May 2022:

May 9 th at 19:00: Europe Day Online Ceremony on all social media platforms @EUinEgypt Europe Day 2022 Online Ceremony in Egypt Watch as Ambassador Berger and Ms. Shahira Amin guide you through some of the key events and achievements in EU and EU-Egypt relations.

May 1 st – May 31 st : Team Europe Climate awareness campaign of daily videos by Executive Vice President Frans Timmermans, Ambassador Christian Berger and Ambassadors of EU Member States on all our social media platforms @EUinEgypt. Watch daily examples of how to contribute to limiting climate footprint. – as a build-up and Team Europe Support to COP 27, to be hosted by Egypt in Sharm El Sheikh.

Team Europe Activities in Alexandria in May 2022:

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In addition to activities in Cairo, Europe month will this year feature a wide variety of activities in Alexandria

 Europe Goes Green Film Festival
 Business Events
 Kids Climate Hub
 Beach clean up
 Youth Engagements
 EU Funded Projects Visits

Europe Day Background:

Europe Day held on 9 May every year celebrates peace and unity in Europe. The date marks the anniversary
of the historic ' Schuman declaration ' that set out his idea for a new form of political cooperation in Europe, which would make war between Europe's nations unthinkable.

Background on EU-Egypt Relations:

Under the Global Mediterranean Policy launched in 1972, an agreement between the European Economic Community and Egypt was signed in January 1977. The framework laid out by the 1995 Euro- Mediterranean Partnership paved the way for some modest advances in the EU–Egypt relations, leading to a new Association Agreement signed on 25 June 2001, in the context of the Barcelona process that entered into force in June 2004. In March 2007, The European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plan was adopted and in 2016, The EU and Egypt initiated a dialogue on future Partnership Priorities in line with the revised European Neighbourhood Policy. EU-Egypt Partnership Priorities were adopted at the occasion of the EU- Egypt Association Council in July 2017 and guided the partnership for the period 2017-2021. The Partnership Priorities 2022-2027 will be adopted in 2022.