Reuters. The European Union and Egypt signed a series of wide-ranging agreements on Wednesday (October 22) aimed at deepening political, economic and security cooperation, as leaders gathered for the first EU-Egypt summit.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU would provide €5 billion in macro-financial assistance and open Europe’s artificial intelligence “factories” to Egyptian startups, allowing them to train and test models on European supercomputers.
Von der Leyen also announced plans for a Palestine donor group, bringing together international partners to promote reforms and reconstruction efforts in Gaza. She said Egypt’s mediation and plans for a reconstruction conference would be key.
The agreements were signed by EU Economic Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis and Egypt’s Planning Minister Rania Al-Mashat ahead of the summit attended by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, von der Leyen and Costa.
Von der Leyen said the new partnership would also strengthen cooperation on migration, with €200 million in EU funding over the next two years to support host communities and fight human trafficking.