Brussels, 13/07/2012 (Agence Europe) - EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton will be in Egypt on Wednesday 18 and Thursday 19 July to meet the new president, Mohammed Morsi, the foreign minister and also civil society organisations including women's associations. “The EU's aim for Egypt is to continue in this phase of government training. We know, and wish to stress, that it is not easy in this context to form a government”, a European senior official said. Economic and political challenges, including the country's stability, will be at the heart of the meetings. “There is no tourism and no investment if there is no regional stability”, he pointed out.
On Friday 13 July, the special representative for the southern Mediterranean, Bernardino Leon, underlined that the Arab Spring nations, including Egypt, need to attract investment and tourists and that this requires support from the international community. “The EU is the main partner of the States and parties for sharing these challenges”, he explained. Leon added that the Union is working on launching a task force with Cairo, specifying that, in addition to the civil society, private sector participation is preponderant as “it is the economy that matters the most”. This task force will be geared to social aspects and must help Egypt to export more, create jobs and investment, and support small and medium-sized companies, as well as tourism, a senior EU official said, recalling that the EU and the European market are Egypt's most important partners. “The responsibility on us has mounted up”, he added.
The same senior official states that it is important to provide Egypt with financial support as the country plays an important role in the Arab world, which has an impact on many nations of the region. “We must make sure of the International Monetary Fund package and organise the task force with Egypt as soon as possible”, he explained. The European Union will financially support the country in the context of the task force. “The EU considers that, given the difficult economic juncture, it is important to make a major effort with regards donations”, he explained, going on to say that the EU will take part in the international fund with a package that will most certainly be mostly made up of loans. In addition to the EU, the World Bank, regional financial institutions and the United States may take part in the aid package. (CG/transl.jl)