EU prepared to provide Egypt further assistance to reduce irregular migration: Schmidt to FM

The European Union is ready to provide further support to the Egyptian state's efforts to curb irregular migration, Margaritis Schinas, Vice-President of the European Commission and European Commissioner for Promoting the European Way of Life, said in a meeting in Cairo with Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry. Schinas stressed the importance of organising the movement of trained workforce from Egypt to the EU in a way that contributes to reducing irregular migration. He also expressed keenness to provide education and training to the Egyptian workforce to qualify them for the European job market. Shoukry affirmed the need for moving the file of Egypt-EU cooperation in irregular migration from a technical level to a high-level political one to serve the common interest of both sides according to the burden-bearing principle. He also reviewed the holistic approach adopted by the state in dealing with the phenomenon not simply as a security threat but as an issue with developmental and social dimensions.