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Honourable Members, 

The European Union is closely following developments in Egypt in the run-up to the elections scheduled on 10-12 December, including the case of Mr Hisham Kassem. The [European] Union is indeed fully aware of his case since his arrest and subsequent sentence on 16 September by the Economic Court. The EU Delegation in Cairo has been actively seeking authorisation to observe the trial.  

The European Union maintains contacts with different political parties, including the opposition. As mentioned in the Partnership Priorities, our relationship with Egypt is based on a joint commitment to promoting human rights and the rule of law. In this regard, the European Union pays close attention to human rights in Egypt and addresses developments in various ways, including at the Human Rights Council.  

The EU Special Representative for Human Rights, Eamon Gilmore, regularly discusses human rights with Egyptian authorities. High Representative [Josep] Borrell has also discussed human rights with his counterpart the Egyptian Foreign Minister, [Sameh] Shoukry, most recently during his visit to Cairo in June. The Egyptian government has demonstrated openness in engaging in human rights related discussions.  

More structurally, the European Union addresses its concerns through the EU-Egypt Dialogue on Human Rights that is organised annually at senior official level. The last Dialogue took place in December last year. In addition, the EU Delegation in Cairo, together with EU Member States on the ground, monitors constantly the human rights situation in the country, holds meetings with civil society actors and human rights defenders, and works with government officials, including on the implementation of Egypt’s Human Rights Strategy launched in September 2021.  

The EU Delegation also seeks to observe trials of individual cases, and counts on the Egyptian authorities’ support in facilitating this. Constructive engagement and progress on human rights will reinforce the EU-Egypt partnership. And in this context, I can assure you that we are having very frank discussions with Egypt, including on the case of Hisham Kassem. 

Link to the video (starting from 10:20): https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-246904