In the context of the April meeting of the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council, the EU-Egypt Association Council meeting and the Troika meeting between the EU and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) were held today in Luxembourg. At this, the fourth meeting of the EU-Egypt Association Council, the participants discussed relations between the European Union and Egypt and issues in the common interest of both partners.
Speaking on behalf of the Slovenian EU Council Presidency, State Secretary Matjaž Šinkovec reported that today’s meeting of the EU-Egypt Association Council was conducted in a friendly and open-minded manner. As he remarked, Egypt is a key regional partner of the EU in the Mediterranean and Middle East, the EU is consequently paying considerable attention to its relationship with this country.
"Our cooperation is structured in such a way as to provide for regular dialogue between both partners," said the Slovenian State Secretary, adding, "The Barcelona Process and the European Neighbourhood Policy also represent significant frameworks for cooperation." In addition to bilateral issues, the meeting participants also discussed the situation in the Middle East, Lebanon and Kosovo.
The Troika meeting between the EU and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) also took place today. The debate focused in particular on the securing of peace and stability in the West African and the Sahara region. The participants also discussed the process of democratisation and cooperation in organising elections, in particular priorities on election monitoring, and the ECOWAS meeting with national electoral commissions. Human rights and good administration, the consequences of rising food prices, regional economic integration and economic partnership agreements, migration, development and actions to combat drug trafficking were also on the agenda.
