Egypt, EEAS sign cooperation agreement on crisis management, disaster risk reduction

CAIRO – 7 June 2026: Christian Berger, Director of the European External Action Service (EEAS) Crisis Response Centre (CRC), and Major General Tamer Abdelrahman, Assistant Secretary-General of the Egyptian Cabinet and Head of the National Committee for Crisis Management and Disaster Risk Reduction, signed an Administrative Arrangement aimed at strengthening cooperation and information exchange on crisis management and disaster risk reduction.

The signing was followed by discussions on shared challenges and priorities, said the EU delegation in Egypt on Sunday.

Berger outlined the role of the EEAS Crisis Response Centre in supporting the EU's High Representative/Vice-President and the EEAS in responding to political, security, and consular crises outside the European Union. He stressed the importance of cooperation with international partners, welcomed the new arrangement, and invited Egyptian counterparts to continue exchanges in Brussels and visit the CRC.

For his part, Abdelrahman welcomed the agreement and thanked the EU for its close cooperation with Egypt. He highlighted the role of the National Committee for Crisis Management and Disaster Risk Reduction as a coordination mechanism that brings together relevant national stakeholders to address a wide range of crises, including natural disasters, accidents, security incidents, health emergencies, and consular crises abroad.

Abdelrahman noted that the committee supports crisis management efforts across Egypt's 27 governorates and operates specialized subcommittees that monitor regional developments, including the situations in Gaza, Syria, and Sudan, as well as outbreaks such as Ebola. The two sides also exchanged views on Ebola monitoring mechanisms and their respective approaches to crisis preparedness.

Egyptian officials described the arrangement as another step toward strengthening EU-Egypt cooperation, building on the Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership signed in 2024 and ahead of the 11th meeting of the EU-Egypt Association Council scheduled for June 15, 2026.