Brussels: The 15th round of the EU-Egypt Inter-Parliamentary Meeting (IPM) concluded on Friday in Brussels after four days of discussions, held within the framework of ongoing efforts to strengthen Egyptian-European relations and enhance channels of communication and cooperation between the two legislative institutions.
According to State Information Service Egypt, the Egyptian delegation was headed by Samah Shoukry and included Tareq Radwan, Mohamed Magdy, Rasha Ramadan, Ahmed Fathy, and Ambassador Naila Gabr, member of the Human Rights Committee. The European side was represented by Fran§ois Bellamy, Chair of the Mashreq Delegation in the European Parliament, along with several Members of the European Parliament representing various political groups.
The dialogue addressed a range of issues, primarily ways to further enhance Egypt-European Union relations and follow up on the implementation of the pillars of the strategic and comprehensive partnership between both sides. It also included an exchange of views on key regional and international developments, as well as ongoing challenges in the Middle East.
On the sidelines of the dialogue, the Embassy of Egypt in Brussels organized a series of meetings for the Egyptian delegation with officials from the European Commission, the European Council, and the European External Action Service. These meetings provided an opportunity to exchange views on regional and international developments.
The delegation also met with Peter De Roover, Speaker of the Belgian House of Representatives, with the aim of strengthening ties of friendship and cooperation between the Egyptian House of Representatives and the Belgian Parliament, and expanding areas of bilateral cooperation.
Egyptian Ambassador to Belgium and the European Union Ahmed Abu Zeid stressed the importance of parliamentary dialogue, noting that it reflects public priorities on both sides and builds on the momentum of the Egypt-EU strategic and comprehensive partnership. He added that the dialogue provided a platform to brief European Union officials on progress in implementing the strategic partnership, highlighting advances achieved in political, economic, and development cooperation.
For his part, Samah Shoukry stated that the 15th round of dialogue was characterized by constructive discussions, contributing to a deeper understanding among Members of the European Parliament of Egypt's role in promoting regional security and stability. He further highlighted Egypt's mediation and conflict-resolution efforts in regional and international issues, aimed at supporting peace and stability in the Middle East and reinforcing European security.
The discussions also covered strengthening bilateral cooperation under the Egypt-EU strategic and comprehensive partnership, as well as Egypt's efforts in combating irregular migration and promoting the empowerment of women, youth, and persons with disabilities, in addition to social protection programs targeting vulnerable groups.