Dr. Badr Abdel-Ati, Egypt's Ambassador to Brussels and Luxembourg and to the European Union institutions, welcomed a high-ranking Egyptian delegation of economists comprised of senior officials from both the public and the private sectors. This delegation came with the purpose of promoting the investment opportunities available in Egypt, discussing the ongoing reform initiatives related to the Egyptian economy, and laying the groundwork for the upcoming investment conference to be held in Egypt in collaboration with the European Union in the near future.
The Egyptian Embassy and its commercial office in Brussels facilitated various meetings for the delegation. These included engagements with Business Europe, the Arab-Belgian-Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce (ABLCC), and Solar Power Europe.
For his part, Mr. Hossam Heiba, GAFI CEO and head of the delegation, outlined the facilities provided by the State and GAFI to foreign companies and investors. He emphasized their positive impact on the investment climate and the competitiveness of the Egyptian economy. Heiba added that the aforementioned Investment Conference focuses on promising sectors, especially those that are important to both Egypt and the European Union, the most important of which are the clean energy and green hydrogen sector, in addition to agriculture, food security, tourism, transportation, logistics, and industry: automotive industries, supplementary industries, pharmaceuticals industry, etc.
Mr. Walid Gamal El-Din, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone), pointed to the SCZone advantages; with the presence of six (6) ports on the shores of the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. He emphasized the efforts to localize industries in the SCZone, especially in the field of green hydrogen, and assured Egypt's willingness to establish more partnerships with the European side.
Dr. Jehan Saleh, Economic Advisor to the Prime Minister, clarified the developments of the economic reform process launched by the Egyptian State several years ago, referring to the State Ownership Policy Document that unveiled in 2022 that clearly define the sectors in which the State will keep hold on and those in which it will no longer be a partner. Ambassador Omar Abou Eich also stressed the importance of enhancing economic, investment, and trade relations between Egypt and the European Union.
In addition, representatives from the Egyptian private sector, including the Secretary-General of the Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce (FEDCOC), the chairman of the Egyptian Federation of Investors Association (EFIA), the chairman of the Egyptian Junior Business Association (EJB), and a representative of the Federation of Egyptian Industries (FEI), discussed current business and investment opportunities in Egypt. On the other side, the Belgian and European private sector representatives expressed their keen interest in the Egyptian market, noting the active presence of numerous European companies across various sectors in Egypt and expressed the desire to increase their investments in Egypt and participate in the forthcoming investment conference once its schedule is finalized.
Ambassador Badr Abdel-Ati also reviewed the good economic and trade relations between Egypt and the European Union, as well as at the bilateral level between Egypt and Belgium, indicating the efforts to establish a comprehensive strategic partnership with the European Union within the framework of elevating relations between the two parties. Furthermore, he highlighted the promising potentials of Egypt in the energy sector, especially new, renewable, and clean energy, which will be one of the sectors to be addressed in the upcoming investment conference planned to be held in Egypt soon in cooperation with the European Union.
