Afia told MENA on Saturday that both Egypt and the EU seek to extend the partnership and there are ongoing discussions between the two sides about the new document for the partnership's priorities in years ranging from 2021 to 2027.

He said all contributions of the EU in projects in Egypt are non-refundable grants.

Egypt and the EU are bound by long-running relations, given the fact that the pair are part to a partnership agreement, which has been activated since 2004, he went on to say.

The partnership allows more cooperation and trade and cultural exchange among individuals in several domains, according to him.

Afia pointed out to trade fields and the free zone through which Egypt is exporting commodities to the EU and vice versa without any customs tariffs, which, he added, have mainly contributed to upping trade exchange rates and EU investments to Egypt and thus creating more job opportunities nationwide.

Cooperation between Egypt and the Union is based on priorities of joint partnership, he said.

As for financial cooperation, he referred to promoting cooperation to achieve sustainable development, which is based on the national plan "Egypt Vision 2030 and the UN sustainable development goals.