Opening Remarks by Ambassador Berger: Support to Enhanced Administrative and Public Economic Governance in Egypt

Support to Enhanced Administrative and Public Economic Governance in Egypt

Opening Remarks

Ambassador Christian Berger,

Head of the EU Delegation to Egypt

Cairo, 8 February 2023

Dear Minister Rania Mashat, Dear President El Sheikh, Dear Ministers, Dear Deputy Director

It is with great pride and great expectations that I participate in this meeting with colleagues and friends from the Government of Egypt and the OECD in the first event under the EU supported programme on ‘administrative reform and public economic governance’.  

This 5-year programme which was launched in 2022, represents an important part in the strategic partnership between the European Union and Egypt.  In line with the EU-Egypt’s partnership priorities, the programme is well-positioned to support Egypt’s ambitious priorities towards sustainable development, administrative reforms, digital transformation, and public finance management.

Through interventions geared to enhance public governance, citizens, businesses, and the entire society will feel the impact through: quality services, a conducive environment for investment and businesses, and many other aspects that contribute to a user friendly environment and a prosperous future.

This new programme represents a significant avenue for the EU-OECD partnership in Egypt. The EU has been an early partner of Egypt in public governance.

The European Union and Egypt look back on a longstanding partnership through which a multitude of programmes and initiatives have been implemented since the adoption of the EU-Egypt Association Agreement in 2004 (eg. Institutional twinning projects with EU Member States, programmes implemented by the ENA and the United Nations in administrative reforms and local development).

With the EU partnerships, and particularly through this new programme with Egypt and the OECD, a strengthened dialogue and peer to peer cooperation will develop a set of best practices.  This new programme will support policy work and it will provide hands-on expertise to support the implementation of nationally-led ongoing governance reforms.  In this regard, I would like to commend the efforts of the Government of Egypt to foster national initiatives that aim at strengthening Egypt’s public governance indicators and in promoting the participation of young people.

In the framework of this event, we join forces with Egypt and the OECD to launch two important initiatives: The ‘Youth Policy Shapers’ and a ‘Public Governance Review for Egypt’. Both initiatives capitalise upon successful efforts by Egypt and the privileged expertise of the OECD.

I thank and commend the leadership of all national partners involved in the EU-Egypt programme on administrative governance: The Ministries of Planning and Economic Development, Finance, Communications and Information Technology, the Central Agency for Organisation and Administration, and the National Institute for Public Governance and Sustainable Development.

Special thanks go to the leadership of the Ministry of International Cooperation for the  support of the strategic partnership with Egypt in all domains.

And I would like to thank the OECD for the excellent cooperation with the European Union, particularly in this programme.

Allow me to close by wishing for successful results of this new partnership with Egypt and for fruitful discussions among partners and peers in this event.