The European Union announced an $8 billion aid package for cash-strapped Egypt on Sunday, amid concerns that economic pressure in neighboring countries and conflict and chaos could lead to more migrants flooding to European shores.

The agreement is scheduled to be signed during a visit by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the leaders of Belgium, Italy, Austria, Cyprus and Greece, according to Egyptian officials.

The plan includes grants and loans to the Arab world’s most populous country over the next three years, according to the EU delegation in Cairo.

A document from the EU Mission in Egypt stated that the two sides have elevated cooperation between the two countries to the level of a “strategic comprehensive partnership”, paving the way for expanding cooperation between Egypt and the EU in various economic and non-economic fields.

The EU will provide assistance to the Egyptian government to strengthen its borders, especially with Libya, a major transit point for migrants fleeing poverty and conflict in Africa and the Middle East, and will support the Egyptian government in hosting Sudanese people who have been fleeing for nearly a year. Their country’s rival general.

For decades, Egypt has been a haven for migrants from sub-Saharan Africa trying to escape war or poverty. For some, Egypt is a destination and a haven, the closest and easiest country to reach. For others, it’s a transit point before attempting the dangerous Mediterranean crossing to Europe.

While Egypt’s coast is not the main starting point for people smugglers and traffickers ferrying crowded boats across the Mediterranean to Europe, Egypt faces migrant pressure from the region, in addition to the Israeli-Hamas war that will spill over to Egypt’s borders. The threat is increasingly imminent. .

The plan has drawn criticism from international rights groups over Egypt’s human rights record. Amnesty International condemned the agreement and urged European leaders not to participate in human rights abuses in Egypt.

“EU leaders must ensure that Egyptian authorities adopt clear human rights benchmarks,” Eve Geddy, director of Amnesty International’s European office, said in a statement. Geddy pointed to Egypt’s restrictions on media and freedom of expression, as well as restrictions on civil society. repression.