The Minister of Planning and Economic Development meets with the Executive Vice President of the European Commission to discuss deepening cooperation

H.E. Dr. Hala El-Said, Minister of Planning and Economic Development met; with Mr. Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice President of the European Commission for the Green Deal, during his visit to Egypt.
 The meeting was attended by the Ministry of Planning, Dr. Ahmed Kamali, Deputy Minister, Dr. Jamil Helmy, Assistant Minister for Follow-up Affairs of the Sustainable Development Plan, Ambassador Hazem Khairat, Director of the International Cooperation Office, and Dr. Mona Essam, Head of the Sustainable Development Unit.
At the beginning of the meeting, Dr. Hala El-Said expressed her appreciation for the efforts made by the European Union Commission to lead global climate action, and Egypt's aspiration to cooperate with the Commission within the framework of Egypt's organization of the Cop27 conference next November in Sharm El-Sheikh.During the meeting, El-Said reviewed many files handled by the Ministry; These include the development of the investment plan, the development of a sustainable development strategy "Egypt Vision 2030", and the launch of the structural reform program that focuses on the real economy.
El-Said also reviewed the application of "environmental sustainability criteria" to increase green projects in the national investment plan and to reach 50% of green projects by 2024/2025, including projects in the areas of clean transportation, water, and sanitation improvement, renewable energy and energy efficiency.
During the meeting, El-Said also clarified the role of the ministry in developing and improving the structure of the gross domestic product and increasing the competitiveness and productivity of the economy by proposing and following up on macro sectoral reforms in cooperation with ministries and state institutions.





On the presidential initiative "A Decent Life"; El-Said said that it is a green initiative that serves all issues of preserving the environment and aims to improve the quality of life for more than half of the Egyptian society.The "Decent Life" initiative is the largest development project in the world in terms of its coverage of more than 58 million Egyptian citizens, as well as the investments allocated to it and the type of services provided in different villages.The Minister of Planning and Economic Development clarified the role of a decent life in facing climate change through measures to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change, integrating the local community as a partner in climate projects, and launching an experiment for several villages as green villages.
During the meeting, Dr. Hala El-Said referred to the role of The Sovereign Fund of Egypt for joint promotion/investment in green initiatives, such as water desalination and renewable energy in green hydrogen and ammonia projects with some European companies.
For his part, the Executive Vice President of the European Commission for the European Green Deal explained that after the recent developments in the crisis between Russia and Ukraine, the European Union sees an imperative to search for diversifying energy sources, promoting the transition to renewable energy and reducing traditional energy consumption.
He stressed that the European Union is looking forward to building energy bridges and cooperation with Egypt, especially as it is not only a gateway and source of ordinary energy but also new and renewable energy.
He explained that he believes that the horizons of cooperation and partnership between the European Union and Egypt are limitless and that they have great opportunities for expansion and development.
 He pointed out that this partnership will have an economic impact in the fields of the Mediterranean countries and that it is possible for Egypt to turn into a global center for renewable energy.