Gamal Bayoumi, secretary general of the Egyptian-European Partnership at the Ministry of International Cooperation, said Minister of International Cooperation Najla al-Ahwani met on Wednesday with Michael Kohler, director of the Neighborhood Policy at the European Commission in Brussels, to negotiate a financial aid package that the European Union plans to offer to Egypt in 2014-2015.
“The aid, which will be announced soon, is in favor of both parties,” he said, adding that the aid is in accordance with a partnership agreement that began in 2004 to help Egypt liberalize its economy and enter an Egyptian-European Free Trade Zone.
“The agreement increased trade with Europe three or four times,” he said. “The European Union is our first trade partner, followed by the Arab countries and the United States.”
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
