Italy, EU commission to sign deal with Egypt on ‘cooperation and development’

Rome: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says she will be in Cairo on Sunday to sign an agreement between Europe and Egypt for cooperation and development similar to a deal made by Italy with Tunisia in 2023.

As migrant crossings from Tunisia to Italy surged in 2023, Meloni and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen made a deal with the country’s increasingly autocratic leader, President Kais Saied, with much of the focus on stopping migrant crossings.

In a Memorandum of Understanding signed on July 16, the EU announced a wide-ranging partnership that included 105 million euros (112 million USD) dedicated to border control.

Meloni said the agreement to be signed in Cairo will be similar to the one with Tunisia but she did not mention migration in her comments on Friday, instead indicating agricultural and training programs plus “a series of collaboration agreements in the fields of health, support for small and medium-sized enterprises and investments.”