Ashraf AboArafe
Ambassador Suha Gendi:
1. This meeting comes as a continuation of what was agreed upon during the visit of the Vice-President of the European Union Commission last March
2. We seek, through the center, to cooperate in qualifying and training Egyptian youth to work in Europe and to create alternative opportunities in support of the future of our children and to maximize their capabilities as qualified human resources for the global market.
Ambassador of the European Union to Egypt:
We are keen to enhance cooperation further during the year 2023 and to establish a dialogue between the two sides on migration issues in all its forms, as it is one of the axes of the Egyptian-European relationship.
Ambassador Soha Gendi, Minister of State for Immigration and Egyptians Abroad Affairs, received Mr. Christian Berger, Ambassador of the European Union to Egypt, and Ms. Graziella Rett, Senior Adviser to the Head of the Human Rights, Civil Society and Migration Department of the European Union delegation to Egypt, in the presence of Dr. Saber Suleiman, Assistant Minister Immigration for Institutional Development and Minister’s Office Affairs, and Ambassador Amr Abbas, Assistant Minister of Immigration for Communities Affairs.
At the outset of the meeting, the Minister welcomed the Ambassador of the European Union and his accompanying delegation, and confirmed that this meeting comes to enhance means of cooperation and exchange of experiences in migration and development files, in continuation of what was agreed upon during the visit of Mr. Margaret Schinas, Vice-President of the European Union Commission last March. His meeting with the Minister of Immigration and his visit to the Egyptian-German Center for Jobs, Migration and Reintegration, in support of relations between Egypt and the European Union in the field of immigration and training for employment.
During the meeting, Ambassador Soha Gendy valued the close relations between Egypt and the Union at various levels. She also reviewed the ministry’s efforts in combating illegal immigration, absorbing Egyptian workers returning from abroad, and finding suitable alternative job opportunities for them, in cooperation between the concerned state institutions and ministries, international partners and civil society organizations. It also welcomed cooperation to study ways to launch a center specialized in rehabilitating youth according to the needs of European markets, to become a center of expertise, in addition to integrating returnees into the country’s sustainable development plans.
The Minister of Immigration stressed the importance of taking serious steps to start drawing up a road map for the establishment of a center that represents a point of continuous communication between the European Union and the Egyptian state to facilitate sponsorship and support the movement of skilled workers and citizens with expertise in various fields between Egypt and the European Union, and provides all the services and training that young people need. Away from bureaucratic restrictions and complexities, visa problems, and the establishment of a work mechanism by establishing a physical headquarters for the center and a website that regulates employment and its transfer, so that everyone can benefit from these results and achieve the desired fruits of cooperation.
The Minister of Immigration indicated that there are returnees from abroad, as a result of economic crises or the Corona pandemic, and the impact of foreign markets and the settlement of employment in some countries, as she reviewed efforts to integrate returnees from Europe and discuss ways of support and providing safe opportunities for employment and integration into society, explaining that it is important to discuss With the European Union, ways to provide more opportunities, overcome various obstacles, and develop a clear work map to build an action plan to provide employment opportunities for young people, starting from selection, training and qualification, through working abroad according to the needs of labor markets in Europe, with the establishment of a specialized Egyptian center based on a real Egyptian-European partnership. Referring to the discussion of all available ways to provide job opportunities for young people, during meetings with European partners, and the importance of cooperation among all to ensure the best ways and achieve the desired results.
Ambassador Soha Gendy addressed the successful experience of the existing cooperation with the German side, regarding the Egyptian-German Center for Jobs, Migration and Reintegration and the THAMM program, where cooperation took place with the German side – represented by the German Agency for International Cooperation “GIZ” – by linking training to the labor market and the employment and employment of Egyptians by occupations. Which Germany needs, as the Egyptian-German Center is the first of its kind in Egypt that provided opportunities for young people to be trained and employed in Germany, and it was established in pursuit of sustainable development goals and Egypt’s vision 2030, and awareness of the dangers of illegal immigration, pointing out that work is underway to expand it and establish Other similar centers with a number of other friendly countries wishing to benefit from Egyptian labor and expertise to bridge the professional gaps in their societies.
In the same context, Ambassador Suha Jundi referred to international cooperation and coordination with all concerned countries, including the countries of the European Union, in order to implement the activities of the presidential initiative, “The Lifeboats” in the governorates that export the most illegal immigration, and to find opportunities and appropriate alternatives for this phenomenon, so that cooperation is not only on at the local level through ministries and government institutions, partners, international organizations and civil society, in order for cooperation to be at all local, regional and international levels, as she explained that the ministry’s work strategy is funded by an integrated development plan for the 14 governorates identified by the presidential initiative “The Lifeboat” as the governorates Most vulnerable to illegal immigration, to ensure the elimination of illegal immigration and provide positive alternatives through the Egyptian-German Center and similar centers with European and other countries.
For his part, the Ambassador of the European Union to Egypt, Ambassador Christian Berger, explained the importance of cooperation between Egypt and the Union in the field of migration, announcing that cooperation will be further strengthened during the year 2023 and the establishment of dialogue between the two sides on migration issues, with the participation of experts and specialists from both sides, noting the importance of implementation. Positive immigration program with a package of up to 60 million euros; This is to enhance the response to the challenges of migration in Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco, praising the Egyptian efforts to address the main causes that lead to migration.
Berger appreciated what Egypt is doing in terms of training and qualifying youth, including the Egyptian German Center, expressing his interest in the existence of similar centers that provide services: providing reliable information about the requirements of jobs and vocational training in the European labor market, and providing job opportunities in Egypt after providing technical training programs to raise The level of skills of young people, in line with the standards of the European labor market, in addition to supporting Egyptian returnees from Europe and abroad in general, and measures for their reintegration, with a focus on forced returnees, whether through psychological and social support or by facilitating programs to support small projects that generate income for them. And the conclusion of bilateral agreements between the Ministry of State for Immigration and government institutions concerned with this file in European countries to ensure better governance of immigration, and to allow direct communication and discussions between the Ministry of State for Immigration and official authorities in European countries to discuss immigration issues in terms of illegal immigration and job opportunities.
The Ambassador of the European Union to Egypt reviewed a number of activities carried out by the European Union in Egypt, and the coordination to hold a round table next July, stressing that with regard to the reintegration of returnees from abroad, there is a lot that can be provided in dealing with migration issues from the source, in cooperation with The Egyptian government, in addition to discussing issues of seasonal employment and the reintegration of returnees, pointing out that the European Union allocates large budgets to reduce illegal immigration, and put forward cooperation mechanisms between the Egyptian state and the European Union.
Burger raised the importance of discussing all theses related to the immigration file in a workshop next July, with the participation of the Ministry of Immigration, which the Europeans consider a key partner for the Union in this project, and what is related to labor transfer, building a job center, according to European standards, and providing the necessary European support to it, to meet the needs of European markets. Pointing out that this cooperation would create new horizons of cooperation and strategic linkage between Egypt and the European Union.
