The President of the European Council, António Costa, together with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will represent the EU at the first EU-Egypt summit taking place in Brussels on 22 October 2025. President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi will represent Egypt.

The summit will focus on bilateral relations and further deepening the political and economic partnership, as set out in the EU-Egypt Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership, with the aim of fostering their shared stability, peace and prosperity. Leaders will also discuss today's global challenges, including the situation in the Middle East, the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, multilateralism, trade, migration and security.

Background

In March 2024, the EU and Egypt mutually agreed to elevate their relationship to the level of a Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership, covering six pillars of cooperation and common priorities: political relations, economic stability, trade and investments, migration and mobility, security and demography and human capital. Advancing in these areas will unlock the full potential of the EU-Egypt relationship. As part of the commitment to intensify the bilateral political dialogue, it was then decided to hold an EU-Egypt Summit once every two years, on top of the annual Association Council.

In 2024, the EU was Egypt's largest trading partner, accounting for 22% of Egypt's total trade. The EU was also the main destination for Egyptian exports (26.5% of the total) and the largest source of Egyptian imports (19.9% of the total). The Strategic Partnership is to enhance co-operation between the EU and Egypt to fully implement and unleash the full potential of the Free Trade Area of the Association Agreement agreed in 2004.