EU official comments on financial assistance to Egypt, Palestinians

MENA news agency
24 Nov 04

Cairo, 24 November: Director of Resources and Information at the
Directorate of External Relations of the European Commission David
Lipman underlined the importance of media cooperation between the
European Union and the Euro-Mediterranean partnership countries.

At a press conference held at the EU commission premises in Cairo,
Lipman explained that the European Union has chosen Egypt to be among
other capitals in which the EU will celerabte the 10th anniversary of
Barclona process which embodies the birth of the Euro-Mediterranean
cooperation. He said a number of ministers from the European Union
and Egypt, besides businessmen and representatives of Egyptian and
European universities would take part in the celebrations.

Lipman said the EU has allocated 15bn euros for the Euro-Mediterranean
partners from the year 2007 to 2013 with the aim of boosting
cooperation programmes between the EU and the Euro-Med partners
in addition to backing the Euro-Mediterranean neighbourliness
policy. The countries to benefit from such sums – all Barcelona
process participants, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldovia, as well as
Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia – have to enjoy democratic practices
and observe human rights, according to Lipman.

He said the EU will determine the size of assistance to Egypt by the
end of the coming year. The EU official said the EU has earmarked
600m euros in grants to Egypt within the framework of agreements
signed between Egypt and the EU.

He said the EU would discuss with the Egyptian government implementing
a working plan in 2005 whereby Egypt’s needs would be assessed as part
of the 15bn euros set aside by the EU for the Euro-Med partnership
countries.

Lipman, who wrapped up on Wednesday 24 November a visit to Egypt, where
a forum of information officials of Euro-Mediterranean partnership
countries was held in Cairo, said the EU will focus in the coming
years on supporting the policy of good neighbourliness so as to
activate movement of commodities, capital and individuals among
Euro-Mediterranean partners.

Responding to a question on EU help to the Palestinian National
Authority, Lipman noted that the EU was the biggest donating party
to the PA both financially and politically. He said the EU gives the
PA approximately 200m euros annually, and is ready to cooperate with
the Authority if head of the PLO Executive Committee Mahmud Abbas
succeeds deceased Palestinian President Yasir Arafat.

As regards projects being financed by the EU in Egypt, Lipman said the
EU is closely monitoring work in such projects and how the Egyptian
people get the maximum benefit from them. He explained that the EU aid
programmes were mainly trageting the fields of education and health.

The European Commission has presented the Ministry of Education in
Egypt with 10,000 computers, the official said, asserting that the EU
aimed to place Egypt atop its list of priorities to render successful
the political, economic and administrative reform plans in the country.