The arrangement was signed by Christian Berger, director of the EEAS Crisis Response Centre, and Major General Tamer Abdelrahman, assistant secretary-general of the Egyptian cabinet and head of the National Committee for Crisis Management and Disaster Risk Reduction.
The signing was followed by talks on shared challenges and priorities in crisis preparedness and emergency response systems.
Mr Berger outlined the role of the EEAS Crisis Response Centre in supporting the EU High Representative/Vice-President and the European External Action Service in responding to political, security, and consular crises outside the European Union.
He emphasized the importance of strengthening cooperation with international partners and welcomed the new arrangement with Egypt, while inviting Egyptian officials to continue exchanges in Brussels and visit the CRC.
Major General Abdelrahman welcomed the agreement and expressed appreciation for the ongoing EU cooperation with Egypt.
He highlighted the role of the National Committee for Crisis Management and Disaster Risk Reduction as a central coordination body bringing together national stakeholders to respond to a wide range of crises, including natural disasters, industrial accidents, security incidents, health emergencies, and consular crises involving Egyptians abroad.
He said the committee operates across Egypt’s 27 governorates and includes specialized subcommittees monitoring regional developments, including crises in Gaza, Syria, and Sudan, as well as efforts related to monitoring the Ebola outbreak.
Both sides also exchanged views on Ebola monitoring mechanisms and approaches to strengthening crisis preparedness and early warning systems.
Egyptian officials welcomed the agreement as a step forward in deepening EU-Egypt cooperation in crisis management, building on the Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership signed in 2024, and ahead of the 11th EU-Egypt Association Council meeting scheduled for 15 June.
On Saturday, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas held talks in Cairo, reviewing a range of regional and international crises and warning against military escalation, according to the Egyptian presidency.
The talks underscored a shared position on the need to prioritize political and diplomatic solutions over military options amid growing tensions across multiple conflict zones.
In March 2024, the EU and Egypt agreed to upgrade their relations to a Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership covering six key pillars of cooperation and shared priorities: political relations, economic stability, trade and investment, migration and mobility, security and demography, and human capital development.
Accordingly, the EU committed a 7.4 billion euro package for Egypt, including 1 billion euros already disbursed, 4 billion euros in approved macro-financial assistance, 1.8 billion euros in planned investments, and 600 million euros in grants supporting Egypt’s reform agenda.
Egypt is a vital and trusted partner of the EU, and both sides are working intensively to deepen cooperation across key areas of mutual interest.
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