The 11th Association Council between the European Union and Egypt took place in Luxembourg on 15 June 2026. The event confirmed the robust and multifaceted Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership between the two parties and built on the first Leaders’ Summit that took place in October 2025.
The meeting was co-chaired by Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and Badr Abdelatty, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation, and Egyptian Expatriates. Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Šuica also participated along with eight European Union Foreign Ministers.
The Association Council took stock of the progress made on the Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership adopted in March 2024. The EU and Egypt reaffirmed their shared commitment to long-term stability, peace, security, and prosperity and agreed to work together in the framework of the Pact for the Mediterranean to address common challenges and create new opportunities for people, businesses and organisations across the Mediterranean. Furthermore, they reaffirmed their commitments to promote democracy, the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms, in line with their international obligations, and agreed to strengthen their dialogue and enhance cooperation in this regard in a comprehensive approach. The EU and Egypt concurred that civil society and the private sector are important and potent contributors to the implementation of their partnership and key actors in support of the sustainable development process in Egypt.
The EU and Egypt emphasised their shared ambition to further deepen long-term strategic ties and cooperate in addressing global and regional common challenges and reaffirmed their unwavering commitment to the principles of the United Nations Charter, including the respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries, and to upholding international law, including the law of the sea. The two sides agreed on the need for supporting effective multilateralism and the rules-based international order, in accordance with international law and the United Nations Charter, in their shared interests of stability, peace and prosperity across the globe. They will continue working together with the UN and all partners in driving forward the UN80 initiative to ensure that the United Nations remains effective, cost-efficient and responsive, while ensuring the ownership and leadership of UN Member States to the reform initiatives in line with the Charter of the UN. They re-affirmed commitment to maintain close coordination on regional and global issues based on their shared values and common objectives.
With regard to the situation in the Middle East, the EU and Egypt welcomed the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2803 (2025) and reaffirmed their commitment to a lasting and sustainable peace, based on the two-state solution, with the State of Israel and a sovereign viable State of Palestineon the lines of 4th June 1967, living side-by-side in peace, security and mutual recognition. They further underscore the importance of preserving the unity between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. They also emphasised the need to protect civilians in Gaza and to ensure safe, rapid, and unimpeded humanitarian access and the restoration of essential services. The EU and Egypt exchanged views on the worrying situation in the West Bank, strongly rejecting any attempts of annexation or of any form of individual or collective displacement, forced or otherwise, of Palestinians from any part of the occupied territory.
The EU and Egypt called for an end to the war in Lebanon and expressed their solidarity with, and unwavering support for, the Lebanese people and government. The EU and Egypt reaffirmed the importance of respecting Lebanon’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and expressed their support to the Lebanese government in exercising its full sovereignty over all the Lebanese territory. They called on all parties to fully implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 without selectivity.
On Ukraine, they recalled the UN General Assembly Resolutions ES-11/1, ES-11/2, ES 11/4, ES- 11/6 and ES-11/7 and in this context reiterated the obligation of all States to refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force. The EU and Egypt underscored the need to reach, as soon as possible, a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine in line with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and international law and reaffirmed their support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
On Iran, the EU and Egypt reiterated that dialogue and diplomacy is the only path towards lasting peace and stability in the Middle East and key to resolving all issues linked to Iran. The EU and Egypt welcomed the Memorandum of Understanding announced between the US and Iran and called for its full implementation, ceasing hostilities and ensuring the safety and freedom of international navigation as well as toll-free passage through the Strait of Hormuz, in accordance with the principles of international law. The two sides condemned the unjustified Iranian attacks on the Gulf States, and expressed their solidarity with these countries.
The EU and Egypt also stressed their support to the sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity of Sudan, as well as the preservation of its institutions, and reiterated their call for a ceasefire and a peaceful resolution to the conflict. They concurred that an inclusive Sudanese-owned and led political process towards a democratic transition to a civilian government should be launched and that access of humanitarian assistance to the Sudanese population should be sustained and unhindered.
Recognizing Egypt's heavy reliance on the Nile River in a context of its water scarcity, the EU reiterated its support to Egypt's water security and the compliance with international law, including concerning the Ethiopian dam. The EU strongly encourages transboundary cooperation among riparian countries in accordance with international law, as reflected in the joint statement of the first EU-Egypt Summit in October 2025.
Both sides also confirmed their intention to further engagement on sustainable water management through the implementation of the Joint Declaration on Water Cooperation.
The EU and Egypt reconfirmed their cooperation on Egypt’s national reform agenda, including through the delivery of the EU’s Macro-Financial Assistance.
Both sides highlighted the role of the Macro-Financial Assistance in supporting Egypt’s economic resilience, strengthening macroeconomic stability, enhancing its business environment and accelerating its green transition. The EU and Egypt are important trading partners and agreed to work together to further enhance bilateral trade relations and foster investments, including by launching negotiations on the Sustainable Investment Facilitation Agreement (SIFA). Building on the successful EU-Egypt Investment Conference and a High-level economic event in the margins of the first Leader’s Summit, both sides agreed to further foster the business and investment environment in Egypt to attract more foreign direct investment, boost trade cooperation and create job opportunities. Both sides also welcomed the progress achieved on the investment mobilisation under the European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus (EFSD+) with the target to mobilise up to €5 billion in investments in priority sectors by 2027,including through the EU–Egypt Investment Guarantees for Development mechanism.
The EU and Egypt welcomed the continued progress of their bilateral development cooperation, supported by an ongoing portfolio in grants and blended finance operations across key sectors of the Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership. They also welcomed the conclusion of negotiations on a new pipeline of cooperation programmes for 2026 and the progress made in discussions on future cooperation for 2027. Both sides agreed to initiate preliminary discussions on the future framework for bilateral cooperation for the period 2028–2034, with a view to identifying shared priorities and further deepening the strategic partnership in support of sustainable and inclusive development.
The EU and Egypt reconfirmed that Egypt’s association to Horizon Europe will further create opportunities for cutting-edge projects and innovations, including in vital research areas such as water management, sustainable farming, and food security, bringing tangible benefits to people.
The EU and Egypt agreed on the importance of implementing a comprehensive approach to migration governance. They agreed to continue working on creating legal migration pathways, tackling the root causes of irregular migration, enhancing border management and combating migrant smuggling and trafficking in persons, supporting protection, while ensuring dignified and sustainable return and reintegration of irregular migrants.
The EU acknowledges Egypt’s efforts in hosting a significant number of refugees and asylum seekers and reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Egypt in providing protection and assistance to those most in need.
Combating terrorism and preventing violent extremism conducive to terrorism represent a common goal. The EU and Egypt welcomed their co-chairmanship of Global Counter Terrorism Forum (GCTF) and the inauguration of the Security and Defence Dialogue that was held in March this year. They also reiterated their joint commitment to addressing the root causes of terrorism with full respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. Both sides called for increased cooperation to tackle the numerous and multi-faceted manifestations of organised crime.
The EU and Egypt agreed to work together on enhancing human capital development through matching skills with labour market needs and fostering entrepreneurship to unlock the full potential of youth to promote sustainable growth and prosperity.
In conclusion, the EU and Egypt reaffirmed their commitment to continue advancing on the implementation of the Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership and preparing the second Leader’s Summit in 2027.
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