Egypt is pressing Europe to share more of the cost of hosting what Cairo says are millions of refugees and migrants, as the EU weighs its dependence on a country it sees as a crucial buffer against irregular migration across the Mediterranean.
The two sides are not short of bargaining chips over each other: Europe needs Egypt to keep irregular migration in check while Egypt needs European money to manage a refugee crisis it says is costing more than €8.5 billion a year, experts say.
“Egypt’s leverage has clearly increased with the EU because EU governments are under domestic pressure to reduce irregular migration,” Professor of Migration Studies and Director of the Migration Policy Centre at the Robert Schuman Centre Andrew Geddes told Euronews.
The issue has become more urgent as humanitarian agencies warn of widening funding gaps in Egypt, where the war in Sudan has added to a long-standing refugee and migrant population that also includes Syrians, Palestinians, South Sudanese, Eritreans, Ethiopians, Yemenis, Somalis and Iraqis.
"Arrivals of Syrian refugees meant that Egypt was seen as a credible host country. Sudanese displacement has led to renewed urgency and pressure and strengthened Egypt’s argument that it is facing ongoing and escalating burdens," Geddes explained.
