EU funds border control deal in Egypt with migration via Libya on rise

FILE PHOTO: European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi attends a press conference on the enlargement package 2021 at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, October 19, 2021. Ronald Wittek/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

CAIRO (Reuters) - The European Union signed an agreement with Egypt on Sunday for the first phase of an 80 million-euro border management programme, a statement from the EU delegation in Cairo said, at a time when Egyptian migration to Europe has been rising.

The project aims to help Egypt's coast and border guards reduce irregular migration and human trafficking along its border, and provides for the procurement of surveillance equipment such as search and rescue vessels, thermal cameras, and satellite positioning systems, according to an EU Commission document published this month.