The Minister of Planning and Economic Development meets the Executive Vice President of the European Union Commission

Dr. Hala El-Said, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, held a meeting with Mr. Franz Timmermans, Executive Vice President of the European Union Commission, on the sidelines of her participation in the event organized by the "Union for the Mediterranean" organization, on the Mediterranean vision of green transformation.


During the meeting, the Minister of Planning and Economic Development reviewed what Egypt had achieved in the economic reform program, noting the launch of the structural reform program that focuses on the real economy and gives priority to the agricultural, manufacturing, communications, and information technology sectors.

Dr. Hala El-Said also referred to the application of environmental sustainability standards to enhance green projects in the government investment plan, and capacity-building programs related to these standards through training 700 government cadres, in partnership with civil society, the private sector, and financing institutions, as well as including the environmental dimension in national development plans.

El-Said noted the national efforts to prepare the national hydrogen strategy, the role of The Sovereign Fund of Egypt (TSFE) in this framework, and the fund's participation in the one plan initiative launched by French President Emmanuel Macron, to benefit from the efforts of sovereign funds and their role in supporting efforts to confront climate change.


The Minister of Planning and Economic Development also reviewed the features of the presidential initiative "Decent Life" as a development project that achieves all the UN goals for sustainable development and supports efforts to improve the quality of life and preserve the environment.

For his part, Mr. Franz Timmermans praised the Egyptian role in preparing for the twenty-sixth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which is scheduled to be held at the end of October in Glasgow, Scotland, and the Egyptian endeavor to host the twenty-seventh Conference of the Parties at the end of 2022 in Sharm El-Sheikh.

Timmermans stressed the EU's readiness to provide support to Egypt in facing the consequences of climate change, especially in the areas of establishing a carbon market in Egypt, and supporting the agricultural sector to confront climate change by relying on modern technology.

After the meeting, the Minister of Planning and Economic Development invited the Executive Vice-President of the European Union Commission to participate in the side event to be organized on the sidelines of the 26th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change, on the role of the private sector and financing institutions in supporting adaptation efforts in Africa and the Middle East.