European Commission announces €149 million assistance to Egypt for several sectors including improvement of the water and waste water services

The European Commission is making available a €149 million package to Egypt within the 2008 Annual Action Programme under the ENPI, Commissioner for External Relations and ENP Benita Ferrero-Waldner has announced after talks in Brussels with the Egyptian Health Minister.

A Commission press release said the focus of the programmes financed under this package would be on education, reforms in the transport sector, improvement of the water and waste water services and support for civil society.

Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner underlined: "This financial package clearly underscores the Commission's strong support for Egypt's social, political and economic reform agenda." She also welcomed Egypt's role in the recent Gaza crisis and its contribution to the Middle East peace process.

Furthermore, the 2008 package includes €29 million to Improve Water and Waste Water Services. These funds will be combined with other European donors (KfW, EIB and AFD) and those of the Egyptian government for a total project value of €295 million. The project will improve water quality and output as well as wastewater services in several governorates, directly benefitting over 4 million people.

In addition to the €149 million, €15 million has been made available under the Neighbourhood Investment Facility to support multi-donor projects in the solar energy and water sectors.

EU-Egypt relations: basic facts

The EU-Egypt Association Agreement entered into force in June 2004 and provides the framework for the political, economic and social dimensions of the EU-Egypt partnership, having as its main goal the creation of a free trade area over a period of twelve years and the increase of economic growth.

The ENP Action Plan, adopted in March 2007, identifies reform priorities within Egypt's own agenda of reforms. To support implementation of the Action Plan, The European Commission has agreed a €558 million package of financial support for Egypt for 2007 to 2010 under the European Neighbourhood Partnership Instrument (ENPI).

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Further information:

http://ec.europa.eu/external_relations/egypt/index_en.htm ;

http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/where/neighbourhood/country-cooperation/egypt/egypt_en.htm