European Parliament missions to visit Egypt frequently: EU ambassador

Delegations from the European Parliament are set to visit Egypt more often once the new Egyptian parliament takes office officially, James Moran – EU ambassador to Egypt- said Monday.

“We must first understand the form of the new parliament, which is now going through the drafting process, and the work of its committees that are expected to have an important role,” Moran said during a press conference Sunday.

“As for the European Parliament, many European parliamentarians want to understand what happened in Egypt during the past years, which they could not have done in the absence of a parliament over the last period. Here we will find many parliamentary missions that will visit Egypt and further strengthen relations between both sides,” Moran said.

He hopes that in the upcoming period, plans will be clearer so that EU donors can support Egypt in the upcoming period.

Regarding the report reviewing the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood issued a few days ago by the British government, Moran said the report is linked with British procedures, not European ones, and thereby refused to comment on it.

With regards to human rights groups and how their selection by the European Union will be made, he said “it is in the context of our programmes with Egypt, we do so in cooperation with the Egyptian authorities and they are usually funded directly under Egyptian law”.

He said the reform of civil society organisations is very important. While the EU may not always agree with the nature of the law, the best way to move forward on the issue is to amend laws governing civil society organisations in a manner that is consistent with international standards.

Source: Daily News Egypt