That’s a wrap on the first-ever EU-Egypt Summit: Yesterday was a busy day for Egyptian-EU relations with the first-ever EU-Egypt Summit taking place in Brussels in the presence of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. We sum up some of the most important events from the summit and El Sisi’s time in Brussels below.

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Representing Egypt: The Egyptian delegation that joined El Sisi for the summit included Planning Minister Rania Al Mashat, Investment Minister Hassan El Khatib, and Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty — the ministers took the stage to participate in panels focusing on investment, innovation, industrial competitiveness and more; they also took part in the Economic Forum part of the summit.

So, what went down during the summit? Discussions touched on trade, security, migration, and what’s next for Gaza; the two sides announced new development finance agreements that will see the EU extend over EUR 200 mn in fresh funding; they also announced a path for future cooperation. Alongside the discussions between officials, private players got the chance to get acquainted with tens of companies present from both sides.

Setting the scene: Last year, the EU pledged a EUR 7.4 bn package of loans, grants, and investments through to 2027 and inked a joint strategic and comprehensive partnership with Egypt. The package included a EUR 1.8 bn investment protection mechanism, EUR 5 bn in concessional loans to provide macro-financial assistance, and EUR 600 mn in grants.

More funds secured from the EU: The EU unveiled a list of fresh funds coming our way to support a variety of areas —- EUR 75 mn to support the implementation of socioeconomic reforms, EUR 110.5 mn to advance sustainable development, economic governance, and technical vocational training, and EUR 50 mn in support for investment projects that advance the country’s green transition.

ALSO- The two sides formalized the recently-approved MoU for the EUR 4 bn second tranche of the EUR 5 bn package of macro-financial assistance package. The first tranche was disbursed at the end of December last year. Over the summer the European Parliament gave its final approval to the EU Commission’s proposal to grant Egypt a EUR 4 bn loan.

Paving the way to secure even more European funding: Egypt now has access to the Horizon Europe program — the EU’s mult-bn-EUR research and innovation program — making it the second African country to join the program. The move gives Egyptian researchers, universities, innovators, and entities the same access EU members have to the EUR 93.5 bn research and innovation program.

The two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in a variety of areas — green transition, energy, trade, investment, migration, and security.

A golden gateway for business and attracting investments: The summit brought together representatives from 100 Egyptian companies — including local fintech MNT-Halan, whose CEO Mounir Nakhla sat in on a panel alongside El Khatib — and 60 European companies, as well as 15 international financial institutions.

A call for more EU investments: In his closing speech, El Sisi called on European investors to view Egypt as “a reliable production partner capable of hosting European manufacturing lines that can serve global and European markets efficiently and competitively.”

Pitching Egypt to EU investors: “Egypt can be the industrial and technological ally that Europe needs to secure its supplies, diversify its sources, and enhance its global competitiveness,” El Sisi said during his speech. He pointed to promising investment potential in green hydrogen, pharma, electric vehicles, petrochemicals, AI, logistics, and defense industries, and invited European investors to visit Egypt to explore these sectors firsthand.

READ BETWEEN THE LINES- The summit comes as the bloc works to forge new trade and security agreements amidst geopolitical tensions with its partners, including tariff wars sparked with US President Donald Trump and export controls from the Chinese side, AP reports.

Gaza was also part of the conversation: During a meeting with El Sisi and Abdelatty, VP of the European Commission Kaja Kallas praised Egypt’s role in the Gaza peace plan, affirming the EU’s readiness to support reconstruction efforts in the strip, and stressing the need to preserve the Palestinian Authority and uphold international law.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR EU-EGYPT COOPERATION-

In addition to agreeing to convene for the next EU-Egypt summit in Egypt in 2027, both sides laid out a roadmap to deepen partnership across key areas.

In energy and climate cooperation, both parties plan to conduct a comprehensive study assessing policy options — including carbon pricing mechanisms — to strengthen Egypt’s role in the low-carbon economy and support a climate-compatible trade strategy.

As for trade and investments: The two parties will pursue a Sustainable Investment Facilitation Agreement (SIFA) to complement their existing Association Agreement. In addition, they plan to continue monitoring progress in green and clean tech investments.

The two sides agreed to co-organize a business roundtable next year, bringing together businesses and investors to highlight new potential partnerships under the Investment Mechanism.

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