The digital freedoms NGO EDRi, together with the Refugees Platform in Egypt, Privacy International, and the Statewatch website, will be writing a letter to the Commission concerning its plans to conclude a working agreement between Europol and the Egyptian authorities, they said on 10 January, launching a campaign to collect signatures.
The draft letter asks the Commission “whether it has done its homework in terms of assessing the impact on human rights and whether it is opposed to formalising such a cooperation agreement with the Egyptian authorities”.
The NGOs criticise the agreement for legitimising “the illegal practices of the Egyptian police (particularly against refugees and political dissidents) and paving the way for a future agreement with Egypt involving the exchange of personal data, which would be disastrous for fundamental rights”.
Although a working agreement “excludes the exchange of personal data, striking such a deal between Europol and Egypt will carry a great political weight. Indeed, such a deal would risk serving to legitimise the Egyptian police as a legitimate and reliable cooperation partner for the European Union, despite well-documented involvement in human rights violations and enforcing dictatorial rule in the country”.
The Commission must therefore clarify its management of the negotiations and its assessment of the human rights situation in Egypt.
In September, former Commissioner Ylva Johansson announced a forthcoming agreement between Egypt and Europol (see EUROPE 13479/16).
Link to the open letter for signature: https://aeur.eu/f/ezy (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)