BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union intends to fast-track some of its aid money to Egypt using an urgent funding procedure that bypasses parliamentary oversight and other safeguards, according to the president of the bloc’s executive branch.
The 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) intended for this is part of a larger package of 7.4 billion euros ($8 billion) in financial assistance to the North African country that the EU announced on March 17.
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In this photo provided by Egypt's presidency media office, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi chairs a meeting with Austrian Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer, Greece Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen, Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and Italy Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, at the Presidential Palace in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, March 17, 2024. (Egyptian Presidency Media Office via AP)
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union intends to fast-track some of its aid money to Egypt using an urgent funding procedure that bypasses parliamentary oversight and other safeguards, according to the president of the bloc’s executive branch.
In this photo provided by Egypt's presidency media office, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, centre right, meets European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen, centre left, and her delegations at the Presidential Palace in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, March 17, 2024. (Egyptian Presidency Media Office via AP)
In this photo provided by Egypt's presidency media office, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi chairs a meeting with Austrian Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer, Greece Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen, Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and Italy Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, at the Presidential Palace in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, March 17, 2024. (Egyptian Presidency Media Office via AP)
In this photo provided by Egypt's presidency media office, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, shakes hands with European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen, after signing an agreement at the Presidential Palace in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, March 17, 2024. (Egyptian Presidency Media Office via AP)
In this photo provided by Egypt's presidency media office, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, right, talks to European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen, at the Presidential Palace in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, March 17, 2024. (Egyptian Presidency Media Office via AP)
Egypt has for years relied on cash handouts, often from wealthy Gulf Arab states, as concerns mount that economic pressure and regional conflicts could drive more migrants from the region to Europe’s shores.
The EU package includes three year's worth of grants and favorable loans for the Arab world’s most populous country. Most of the funds — 5 billion euros ($5.4 billion) — are known as macro-financial assistance, or MFA, and would be paid directly to Egypt’s Central Bank.
It's rare for the EU to sidestep safeguards, but European Parliament elections are due June 6-9 — a timeline that if the checks were implemented, would slow the delivery of that money.
With those polls in mind, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced plans for “an urgent MFA operation for up to 1 billion euros” for Egypt, noting in a letter to EU Parliament President Roberta Metsola the country’s “rapidly deteriorating economic and fiscal situation.”
The letter, seen by The Associated Press, preceded the announcement of the deal with Egypt.
Von der Leyen blamed “a very large exposure to the economic effects of Russia ’s full-scale war of aggression on Ukraine, the wars in Gaza and Sudan, and the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea," and said it was “imperative to make sure that a first significant contribution" would get to Egypt by the end of 2024.
To do so, the commission would employ a seldom-used part of the EU treaties, Article 213, which stipulates that the 27 member countries must endorse the funds — but not the parliament, the bloc's only democratically elected institution.
Not even when COVID-19 spread in 2020 and the EU bailed out governments from the Balkans to the Middle East was this path taken. Nor is it used to keep Ukraine's war-shattered economy afloat, although Kyiv did benefit from it a decade ago, when Russia annexed Crimea and hiked natural gas prices.
Apart from removing the need for parliamentary oversight, the urgent funding procedure also sidesteps a requirement for an impact assessment on the effects of the assistance.
Von der Leyen said the new parliament that will be formed after the EU elections would be “fully involved” in the remaining 4 billion euros ($4.3 billion) of MFAs to Egypt, to be disbursed when Cairo agrees to implement “more comprehensive” reforms.
The deal also includes a 1.8 billion euro ($1.9 billion) investment plan and 600 million euros ($647 million) in loans, including at least 200 million euros ($217 million) that will go to Egypt for “migration management.”
The fast-track money would inject much-needed funds into the Egyptian economy, which has been hit hard by years of government austerity, the coronavirus pandemic, the fallout from Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and most recently, the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
Usually, MFAs are meant for governments with dire economic woes and to encourage them to introduce reforms. Yet the commission acknowledges that Egypt is “sluggish” on policy revision and already has a “backlog of domestic reforms” to address.
Migration is a key factor driving the EU-Egypt deal. As in previous years, it will be an election issue in the EU and mainstream parties want to keep arrivals down to deprive the far-right of campaign fuel.
The deal in Cairo came just weeks after a pact was sealed with Mauritania involving money to help the country — a major transit hub for people moving through Africa toward Europe — beef up border security.
A more substantial agreement was clinched with Tunisia last July, expanding on a model the bloc developed with Turkey in 2015 to stop migrants reaching Europe.
While the Egyptian coast has not been a key launching pad for human traffickers sending overcrowded boats across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe, Egypt faces migratory pressures from the region, with the added looming threat that the Israel-Hamas war could spill across its borders.
The commission, asked by the AP what conditions Egypt should respect to receive urgent funding, said that "relevant and feasible reform priorities would need (to) be selected taking into account the corresponding time horizon.”
The commission’s website says macro-financial assistance must be “exceptional in nature” and that “a pre-condition for granting MFA is the respect of human rights and effective democratic mechanisms."
Amnesty International has implored the EU to put rights abuses at the center of relations with Egypt — and the commission concedes that “human rights challenges in Egypt remain significant."
Still, the EU's executive branch maintains that “the political leadership in Egypt has taken several steps putting greater emphasis on the importance of the respect for human rights” in recent years.
Earlier this month, Egypt floated its currency and announced a deal with the International Monetary Fund to increase its bailout loan from $3 billion to $8 billion, moving to shore up an economy hit by a staggering shortage of foreign currency and soaring inflation.
Cairo's coffers will also be replenished with $35 billion from a massive project involving an Emirati consortium to jointly develop the Mediterranean city of Ras el-Hekma.
Since coming to power in 2013, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi has relied heavily on Gulf Arab states, from where an estimated more than $100 billion entered Egypt via Central Bank deposits, fuel aid and other support.
Follow AP’s coverage of migration issues at https://apnews.com/hub/migration
In this photo provided by Egypt's presidency media office, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, right, meets European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen, at the Presidential Palace in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, March 17, 2024. (Egyptian Presidency Media Office via AP)
In this photo provided by Egypt's presidency media office, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, centre right, meets European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen, centre left, and her delegations at the Presidential Palace in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, March 17, 2024. (Egyptian Presidency Media Office via AP)
In this photo provided by Egypt's presidency media office, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi chairs a meeting with Austrian Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer, Greece Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen, Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and Italy Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, at the Presidential Palace in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, March 17, 2024. (Egyptian Presidency Media Office via AP)
In this photo provided by Egypt's presidency media office, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, shakes hands with European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen, after signing an agreement at the Presidential Palace in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, March 17, 2024. (Egyptian Presidency Media Office via AP)
In this photo provided by Egypt's presidency media office, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, right, talks to European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen, at the Presidential Palace in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, March 17, 2024. (Egyptian Presidency Media Office via AP)
ISTANBUL (AP) — Workers and activists around the world marked May Day with largely peaceful protests Wednesday over rising prices and calls for greater labor rights. Pro- Palestinian sentiments were also on display.
Police in Istanbul used tear gas and fired rubber bullets to disperse thousands of people who tried to break through a barricade and reach the main Taksim square in defiance of a ban. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said at least 210 people were detained.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government has long declared Taksim off-limits for demonstrations on security grounds. In 1977, unidentified gunmen opened fire on a May Day celebration there, causing a stampede and killing 34 people. On Wednesday, a small group of trade union representatives lay a wreath at a monument to victims.
May Day, which falls on May 1, is observed to celebrate workers’ rights. It's also an opportunity to air economic grievances or political demands. “Tax the rich,” one banner in Germany read. “Don't touch the eight-hour workday!” another read in Sri Lanka. “I want to live, not survive,” read one in France.
In Paris, police fired tear gas as thousands of protesters marched through the French capital, seeking better pay and working conditions. Police said 12 officers were hospitalized after a homemade explosive was set off on the sidelines of the march. Twenty-nine people were arrested overall.
A group of protesters set makeshift Olympic rings on fire to show discontent with the Summer Games that start in less than three months. France’s unions have warned of a strike during the Games if the government does not adequately compensate people forced to work during summer holidays.
Government officials have failed to meet with union leaders, said Sophie Binet, the general secretary of the CGT union, one of France’s largest. “How do you expect it to go well if the authorities don’t respond to our simplest demand?” she said.
Pro-Palestinian groups joined the Paris rally, chanting slogans in support for people in Gaza. There were similar scenes in Greece as pro-Palestinian protesters joined May Day rallies, waving a giant Palestinian flag as they marched past the Greek parliament. Others displayed banners in support of pro-Palestinian protesting students in the United States.
“We want to express our solidarity with students in the United States, who are facing great repression of their rights and their just demands,” said Nikos Mavrokefalos at the march. “We want to send a message that workers say no to exploitation, no to poverty, no to high prices,” he added.
Several thousand protesters joined the Athens marches as labor strikes disrupted public transport across Greece. The largest union demands a return to collective bargaining after labor rights were scrapped during the 2010-18 financial crisis.
In Nigeria, unions criticized government efforts to ease the cost of living and demanded bigger salary increases. Inflation is the highest in 28 years, at over 33%. In South Africa, pro-Palestinian demonstrators joined May Day events. In Kenya, President William Ruto called for an increase in the country's minimum wage.
In Lebanon, pro-Palestinian marchers mingled with workers demanding an end to a miserable economic crisis. “Politicians do not feel the pain of the worker or the economic conditions,” said one demonstrator, Abed Tabbaa. In Iraq, protesters demanded better wages, the reopening of closed factories and the end to privatization of certain businesses.
Tens of thousands Sri Lankans paraded through the capital as the country struggles through its worst economic crisis, two years after declaring bankruptcy. Discontent has grown over efforts to increase revenue by raising the price of electricity and imposing taxes on professionals and small businesses.
In South Korea's capital, thousands of protesters shouted pro-labor slogans at a rally that organizers said was meant to step up criticism of what they call anti-labor policies pursued by President Yoon Suk Yeol's conservative government.
“In the past two years under the Yoon Suk Yeol government, the lives of our laborers have plunged into despair,” Yang Kyung-soo, leader of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, said in a speech. Union members criticized Yoon’s recent veto of a bill aimed at limiting companies’ rights to seek compensation for damages caused by union strikes.
In Japan, more than 10,000 people gathered in Tokyo, demanding salary increases to set off price increases. Masako Obata, leader of the left-leaning National Confederation of Trade Unions, said dwindling wages have widened income disparities.
In Indonesia, workers demanded protections for migrant workers abroad and a minimum wage raise. They gathered amid a tight police presence, chanting slogans against the new Job Creation Law and loosened outsourcing rules.
In the Philippines, hundreds of workers and left-wing activists marched to demand wage increases and job security amid soaring food and oil prices. Riot police stopped them from getting close to the presidential palace.
Turnbull reported from Paris and Kim from Seoul. Associated Press journalists around the world contributed.
A woman buys a hamburger on the sidelines of an International Workers' Day march in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
A woman attends the International Workers' Day march in La Paz, Bolivia, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
Protesters hold flares as they march on International Workers' Day in Santiago, Chile, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Basualdo)
Members of National Trade Union Federation Pakistan take part in a May Day rally, marking International Labour Day in Karachi, Pakistan, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Participants of the rally demand implementation of labor laws and increase in their wages. (AP Photo/Ikram Suri)
A person waves a Cuban flag during a gathering marking International Workers' Day at Jose Marti Anti-Imperialist Square in Havana, Cuba, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Ley)
Supporters of a left-wing party march, to mark the Labor Day holiday in support of workers' rights, in Warsaw, Poland, on May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
Demonstrators raise their fists as they take part in a May Day rally in Madrid, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
Members of National People's Power, a political alliance, carry placards at a Labour Day rally in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)
Protesters burn olympic rings on the pavement near a Palestinian flag during the May Day demonstration, Wednesday, May 1, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)
Demonstrators participate on a May Day march, in Nuremberg, Germany, May 1, 2024. (Daniel Vogl/dpa via AP)
Protesters chant slogans outside the Greek Parliament during a May Day rally in Athens , on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Palestinian and pro-Palestinian protesters joined the rallies, one group chanting "Victory to the Intifada" as they carried a giant Palestinian flag past parliament. Others displayed banners in support of protesting students in the United States. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A protester wrapped in a Palestinian flag attends the May Day demonstration, Wednesday, May 1, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)
Union members clash with Turkish anti riot police officers as they march during Labor Day celebrations in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Police in Istanbul used tear gas and fired rubber bullets to disperse thousands of people attempting to break through a barricade and reach the city's main city's main square, Taksim, in defiance of a government ban on celebrating May 1 Labor Day at the landmark location. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Supporters of the Lebanese Communist party take a selfie, as they march during a demonstration to mark International Labor Day or May Day, in Beirut, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Despite the tense situation and ongoing clashes on Lebanon's border with Israel over the past seven months, hundreds of protesters marched through Beirut's streets to mark International Workers' Day. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Supporters of the Lebanese Communist party, wave a giant Palestinian flag, as they march during a demonstration to mark International Labor Day or May Day, in Beirut, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Despite the tense situation and ongoing clashes on Lebanon's border with Israel over the past seven months, hundreds of protesters marched through Beirut's streets. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, centre, attends a May Day rally in Cape Town, South Africa, Wednesday, May, 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht)
Union members clash with Turkish anti riot police officers as they march during Labor Day celebrations in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Police in Istanbul used tear gas and fired rubber bullets to disperse thousands of people attempting to break through a barricade and reach the city's main city's main square, Taksim, in defiance of a government ban on celebrating May 1 Labor Day at the landmark location. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Workers hold banner during a May Day rally in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Thousands of workers urged the government to raise minimum wages and improve working condition. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
A worker shouts slogans during a May Day rally in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Thousands of workers urged the government to raise minimum wages and improve working condition. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
Workers march during a May Day rally in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Thousands of workers urged the government to raise minimum wages and improve working condition. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry female cadets march during a rehearsal for the Victory Day military parade which will take place at Dvortsovaya (Palace) Square on May 9 to celebrate 79 years after the victory in World War II in St. Petersburg, Russia, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
A pigeon passes by during a rehearsal for the Victory Day military parade which will take place at Dvortsovaya (Palace) Square on May 9 to celebrate 79 years after the victory in World War II in St. Petersburg, Russia, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
Servicewomen march during a rehearsal for the Victory Day military parade which will take place at Dvortsovaya (Palace) Square on May 9 to celebrate 79 years after the victory in World War II in St. Petersburg, Russia, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
Honour guard soldiers march during a rehearsal for the Victory Day military parade which will take place at Dvortsovaya (Palace) Square on May 9 to celebrate 79 years after the victory in World War II in St. Petersburg, Russia, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
Workers march during a May Day rally in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Thousands of workers urged the government to raise minimum wages and improve working condition. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
People walk towards the site of a May Day rally in Tokyo, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Taiwanese workers hold slogans reading "Congress amended the law to support workers' rights" and ''The regime has no honeymoon'' during a May Day rally in Taipei, Taiwan, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Thousands of protesters from different labor groups protest on the street to ask for labor rights and interests. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)
Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions shout slogans during a rally on May Day in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Workers, activists and others in Asian capitals took to the streets on Wednesday to mark May Day with protests over rising prices and governments' labor polices and calls for greater labor rights. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions gather to attend a rally on May Day in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Workers, activists and others in Asian capitals took to the streets on Wednesday to mark May Day with protests over rising prices and governments' labor polices and calls for greater labor rights. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Anti riot police officers stand guard blocking the route to protesters as Union members march during Labor Day celebrations in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Police in Istanbul detained dozens of people who tried to reach the city's main square, Taksim, in defiance of a government ban on celebrating May 1 Labor Day at the landmark location. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
Anti riot police officers stand guard blocking the route to protesters as Union members march during Labor Day celebrations in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Police in Istanbul detained dozens of people who tried to reach the city's main square, Taksim, in defiance of a government ban on celebrating May 1 Labor Day at the landmark location. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
Union members scuffle with Turkish police officers as they march during Labor Day celebrations in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Police in Istanbul detained dozens of people who tried to reach the city's main square, Taksim, in defiance of a government ban on celebrating May 1 Labor Day at the landmark location. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
A union member scuffles with plainclothes policemen as he marches with others during Labor Day celebrations in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
A man with a flag of a local workers group waits for a May Day rally to start in Tokyo, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
People clap hands as they hear a speaker during a May Day rally in Tokyo, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
People walk towards the site of a May Day rally in Tokyo, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Masako Obata, president of Japan's National Confederation of Trade Unions, also known as Zenroren, speaks during a May Day rally in Tokyo, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
People listen to a speaker during a May Day rally in Tokyo, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Participants march after a May Day rally in Tokyo, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Participants march after a May Day rally in Tokyo, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
People listen to a speaker during a May Day rally in Tokyo, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Participants prepare for a march after a May Day rally in Tokyo, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Participants march after a May Day rally in Tokyo, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions gather to attend a rally on May Day in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions gather to attend a rally on May Day in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions gather to attend a rally on May Day in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Filipino activists march towards the U.S. Embassy during a protest to mark International Labor Day in Manila, Philippines on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Hundreds of Filipino workers from various labor groups took to the streets to mark Labor Day and demand a wage increase and job security amid soaring food and oil prices. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
Policemen try to block activists as they tried to march towards the U.S. Embassy during a protest to mark International Labor Day in Manila, Philippines on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Hundreds of Filipino workers from various labor groups took to the streets to mark Labor Day and demand a wage increase and job security amid soaring food and oil prices. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
Filipino workers carry streamers and posters during a protest to mark International Labor Day near the presidential palace in Manila, Philippines on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Hundreds of Filipino workers from various labor groups took to the streets to mark Labor Day and demand a wage increase and job security amid soaring food and oil prices. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
A man carries a poster during a protest to mark International Labor Day near the presidential palace in Manila, Philippines on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Hundreds of Filipino workers from various labor groups took to the streets to mark Labor Day and demand a wage increase and job security amid soaring food and oil prices. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
Filipino workers carry streamers and posters during a protest to mark International Labor Day near the presidential palace in Manila, Philippines on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Hundreds of Filipino workers from various labor groups took to the streets to mark Labor Day and demand a wage increase and job security amid soaring food and oil prices. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
