Remarks at the reception on the occasion of the visit of the EU High Level Migration Mission

By Mr. Reinhold Brender, Chargé d'Affaires a.i. of the EU Delegation to Egypt

Cairo, 22 January 2017

Distinguished Ambassadors from EU Member States

Distinguished Members of the Diplomatic Corps, the Egyptian Administration and the Arab League Secretariat,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Friends of EU-Egyptian cooperation,

On behalf of the European Union and as the Chargé d'Affaires of the EU Delegation to Egypt, it's a pleasure for me to welcome you tonight.

Our reception is held in honour of an EU High Level Migration Mission on visit to Egypt, led by:

-           Mr Christian Leffler, Deputy Secretary-General of the European External Action Service

-           Mr Simon Mordue, Deputy Director-General of the Migration and Home Affairs Directorate-General, and

-           Mr Maciej Popowski, Deputy Director General of the Directorate General for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations

So, let me warmly welcome these three EU officials and also accompanying colleagues from their respective services.

At the same time I naturally welcome all who want to ensure that the EU and Egypt cooperate closely for the benefit of both sides, from European and Egyptian administrations, but also from civil society and, in a wider context, the Arab League and International Organisations.

This High Level Migration Mission is just one element in a much broader picture of an intensifying bilateral relationship. Due to efforts made by both sides, all indications are that we have been able to overcome the stalemate which the momentous changes in the wake of the January 2011 revolution implied.

Alongside an intensifying cooperation at EU Member States level, in recent months at EU level we have witnessed the visits of the High Representative/Vice-President of the Commission, of two other members of the European Commission, namely Johannes Hahn and Dimitris Avramopoulos and no less than three delegations from the European Parliament as well as the entire Political and Security Committee, to name just these.

We have also resumed our institutional cooperation and reached a shared understanding, at least in principle, on the goals on which our cooperation would usefully focus in the years ahead.

Egypt itself has laid the ground for a new beginning through the election of a Parliament at the end of last year following the referendum on a new Constitution and the election of a President.

And the EU has reconfirmed its commitment to engagement with Egypt as to other partners in the region through a revised Neighbourhood Policy.

Egypt is an important partner for the EU, a strategic player in this region and one of the leaders of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership.

The EU and Egypt as key partners will wish to cooperate in advancing goals set out in Egypt's "Sustainable Development Strategy – Vision 2030" with a view to building a stable and prosperous Egypt.

We also have a shared interest in reinforcing cooperation in foreign policy at bilateral, regional and international levels.

And stabilisation is a common challenge faced by the EU and Egypt, and we want to engage on this topic too. We recognise that establishing a modern, democratic state that delivers benefits equitably to all people is essential for this.

On the basis of the EU-Egypt Association Agreement and in the context of the revised Neighbourhood Policy, we want to maximise the benefits of our cooperation.

Against this background let me say a few words on migration specifically: The EU and Egypt share the understanding that we have an interest in enhancing our cooperation in the domain of migration, as in others. We want to address the challenges that migration entails, but we also want to seize its opportunities.

The visit of this High Level Migration mission is meant to take cooperation forward.

The EU's Global Strategy maintains that we have to find "common and tailor-made approaches featuring development, diplomacy, mobility, legal migration, border management, readmission and return". And it also calls on us to stem irregular flows by making returns more effective as well as by ensuring regular channels for human mobility.

Migration is a domain in which the EU can demonstrate the added value that it's joined-up approach entails. Joined-up means that the EU seeks to ensure coherence between the actions taken at EU and Member States level and, at the same time between the instruments of EU's external relations of which there are many, and last but not least also between EU external relations and internal policy. The composition of the high level Delegation reflects this joined-up approach by bringing together a representative of the EU's diplomatic arm with Commission officials.

Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear friends,

In our respective roles, we all have a responsibility to ensure that collectively we make the best of the EU-Egypt partnership. Let us work together and redouble our efforts to ensure that we may succeed.

Thank you very much for your attention,

Enjoy the evening.

Reinhold Brender,

Chargé d'Affaires a.i.,

The EU Delegation to Egypt