Billions in exchange for fewer migrants: European Parliament agrees with controversial ‘Egypteeal’

On Tuesday, the European Parliament approved 4 billion euros to macrofinancial aid for Egypt, as part of a broader EU support package of more than 7 billion euros. The auxiliary military kicks are related to the controversial ‘Egypteal’ that the committee signed in March 2024 in an attempt to curb irregular migration to Europe.

Cairo already received 1 billion euros in the light of the ‘Egypteal’ at the end of 2024, which brings the total amount to migration to 5 billion euros. In Strasbourg, 452 MEPs voted in front of the extra migration counts, which must be paid in spread until 2027. Brussels previously made comparable migration deals with Tunisia, Mauritania and Turkey.

Egypt must guarantee the economic stability of the country in exchange for the money, a loan provided under favorable conditions. Initially, conditions were linked to the loan in the field of democracy, human rights and the rule of law (from LGBTI rights to the living conditions of prisoners). They have been deleted by the committee. The worries about migration – or the political weight of antimigrant rhetoric – are clearly dominant.

‘Blanco check’

Opponents on the left flank of parliament speak of a « blank check » of Brussels to an « autocratic Egypt ». According to De Groenen, the authority of the EU is undermined and a dangerously precedent is created.

The committee « throws its own rules with this shady migration deal overboard, » says Tineke Strik, MEP for GroenLinks-PvdA. « With this violation, she betrays ordinary Egyptians and lets everyone who argues for a stronger democracy and rule of law stands in the cold. » Strik is Egypt reportor in the European Parliament and was at the end of last year Visiting the countrywhere she spoke with, among other things, concerned activists.

Human law organizations have been criticizing the EU migration deals for some time and speak of ‘Cash for Migrant’Deals. Vluchteling Foundation is mainly « concerned about the possible extra financing for border control » and argues for transparent monitoring of EU-Egypt partnership.

Strategic cooperation

In the case of drawing the deal, the committee chairman Ursula von der Leyen applied for the strategic nature of the collaboration with Egypt: « The role of Egypt is of vital importance for the safety and stability of the Middle East, it houses a growing number of refugees and we have the responsibility to support it. »

« Strange », Matteo Villa, migration expert at the Italian ISPI (Istituto by Gli Studi di politician Internazionale). « The timing of the Egypteal was special, drawn at a time when there was a relapse in Egyptian migrants of about 20 percent – and only a year after the civil war broke out in Sudan. » Although Villa agrees with the positive short -term effects of migration deals (« reasoning from statistics, no ethics »), he outlines that they « do little » in the long term. « It creates a vicious support circle, in which regimes outside the EU have a financial printing agent. »

By supporting the Egyptian economy, based on the idea that the country is ‘too large to fail’, the EU hopes to keep Egyptians out. Villa: « That is possible. But the timing and the disproportionate size of the deal remain remarkable. » But, he concludes smiling: « It yielded nice photo opportunities, as a final piece of a grand migration tour of the EU. »

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