Nasr signs 2 grants with EU to support Egypt’s population strategy

CAIRO – 17 January 2018: Minister of Investment and International Cooperation Sahar Nasr signed on Wednesday two grants with the European Commission's Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations.

The first is worth €27 million to support the national population strategy, while the second comes as part of the European Neighborhood Instrument (ENI), a statement from the ministry said.

ENI, managed by the Directorate General for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations, is the key European Union (EU) financial instrument for EU cooperation with Egypt for the period 2014-2020. It replaces the European Neighborhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI) of 2007-2013.

The EU has allocated €209 million to ENI to support 13 countries, including Egypt.

Nasr said that Egypt has benefited from this program, which helped in executing 30 projects with a total of €12.6 million.

Through this program, the EU funds 90 percent of each project, Nasr said, adding that a number of Egyptian governorates can benefit from this program, including Kafr El-Sheikh, Alexandria, Sharkeya, Marsa Matrouh, Port Said and Beheira, among others.

Nasr said that the €27 million grant will be directed to support the national population strategy, which aims at reducing the population growth rate given its impact on development and economic reform.

She added that her ministry is keen on supporting the heath sector in general, giving the health and education sector a priority in 2018.

Nasr further hailed the continued cooperation between the Egypt and the EU.

Director of the European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations said that the EU is supporting Egypt in its efforts to manage population growth in a way that would achieve sustainable development.

EU assistance to Egypt currently stands at more than €1.3 billion. The new EU-Egypt Single Support Framework 2017-2020, which sets out the EU's priorities for bilateral assistance to Egypt under ENI, foresees between €432 and €528 million for Egypt.

In 2017-2020, EU's assistance to Egypt under ENI will focus on three priority sectors. The first is economic modernization, energy sustainability and environment, the second is social development and social protection, while the third is governance, enhancing stability and modern democratic state.