EU, Egypt Hold First Council Meeting In 7 years

The European Union and Egypt are meeting for the first time since 2010 on Tuesday within the framework of the so-called association council.

The last of such meeting took place in April 2010, before the Egyptian uprising.

The meeting will be co-chaired by the EU’s Foreign Policy Chief, Federica Mogherini, and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Hassan Shoukry.

Both sides are expected to endorse shared priorities and cooperation in areas such as economic reforms, good governance, the rule of law and human rights, as well as migration, security and regional cooperation.

In the run up to the meeting, several rights organisations called on Mogherini to refrain from holding the meeting, due to a deterioration of human rights in Egypt.

“The EU needs to put itself squarely on the side of Egyptians who courageously stand for basic rights when meeting with a government known for mass killings rather than respect for those rights,” Lotte Leicht, the Brussels Director at Human Rights Watch, said.