It will become the most repressive country yet to associate to the programme
Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, President of Egypt, on the right, and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission. Photo credits: Christophe Licoppe / European Union
The European Union has struck a deal with Egypt allowing it to associate to Horizon Europe, despite concerns from MEPs and former diplomats about restrictions on research in the country.
On April 10, the European Commission announced that a deal on association had been struck, with a transitional agreement allowing Egyptian researchers to apply immediately to the programme on an equal footing to Europeans.
"Egypt’s association to Horizon Europe will drive progress in key sectors like energy, food security and digital transition, creating new opportunities for innovation,” said research commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva in a statement. A formal signing should happen in November, the Commission said.
Talks on Horizon association started in March, announced alongside a bigger deal – including a €7.4 billion aid package to Egypt – to help stem illegal immigration. Commission officials denied at the time that the association offer was part of a quid pro quo deal on migration.
But the move attracted criticism, including from MEP Christian Ehler, who said that Egypt should make improvements on academic freedom if it wanted to join.
Hanging over the deal is the death of a 28-year-old Cambridge University PhD candidate, Giulio Regeni, who was killed in Egypt in 2016 while conducting research on labour unions, his body showing signs of torture.
Egyptian security officials have been put on trial in absentia in Rome, accused of kidnapping and murdering Regeni. The Egyptian government has denied involvement.
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Egypt will become the most repressive country yet to associate to the programme, according to a ranking of academic freedom by the Friedrich-Alexander University in Germany.
The country is thirteenth from bottom of the world rankings, between Cuba and Afghanistan. The next most repressive country associated to Horizon Europe is Turkey.
Countries geographically distant from the EU have to fulfil democracy requirements to join the programme. So far, Canada, South Korea and New Zealand have joined on this basis
These rules are not strictly enforced, however, with Singapore joining the association process in 2024 despite concerns over its restrictions on freedom of expression, legal brakes on activism, and the fact that it has been ruled by the same party since independence in 1965.
As a neighbouring country to Europe, these democracy requirements do not apply to Egypt.
Freedom House, a US-based think tank, says academic freedom in Egypt is all but non-existent. “University professors can be dismissed for on-campus political activity, and several prominent academics are in prison for expressing political views,” it says.
Travel for collaborating Egyptians and Europeans could also be a problem, as Egypt imposes “strict requirements” on academics to receive approval from security officials before travelling abroad.
Foreign researchers have also been expelled or denied entry to the country, Freedom House warns.
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