We’re getting EUR 138 mn in EU development grants
The EU and the International Cooperation Ministry yesterday signed development financing grants worth a total of EUR 138 mn that will fund healthcare projects, administrative reform, and environmental, rural, and community development initiatives, according to a cabinet statement. The funding comes within the framework of the EU-Egypt Partnership Priorities for 2021-2027 and was announced to coincide with Europe Day, the statement said.
The breakdown:
- The Health Ministry will get EUR 80 mn in a second tranche of budget support funding.
- The Agriculture Ministry will get EUR 24 mn in funding through a partnership between the EU and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation.
- The Environment Ministry will get EUR 14 mn to support the new national waste management strategy through German development agency GIZ.
The grants also include EUR 7 mn for the Local Development Ministry for projects focused on Upper Egypt, to be implemented by the UNDP; an EUR 5 mn grant for the planning and ICT ministries for administrative reforms through the OECD; another EUR 5 mn for the Finance Ministry for financial management reforms; and EUR 3 mn for the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency as part of an urban employment program in partnership with French development agency AFD.
The EU is a key provider of development finance to Egypt, with ongoing cooperation projects amounting to around EUR 1 bn, the statement said. We could see another EUR 1 bn by 2027, EU Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi said late last year.