Egypt officially joins Horizon Europe

Egypt has officially joined the Horizon Europe, becoming the second African country associated to the EU’s research and innovation programme after Tunisia, the European Commission announced on October 22.

The deal, signed at an EU-Egypt summit in Brussels, grants Egyptian research and innovation actors access to all parts of the programme on similar terms to those from EU member states.

Talks on Horizon association started in March 2024, immediately attracting criticism amid accusations of human rights violations in Egypt. There were also suspicions, denied by the Commission, that association talks were offered as part of a quid pro quo deal to stem illegal immigration. 

Egypt is the most repressive country yet to associate to the programme, according to a ranking of academic freedom by the Friedrich-Alexander University in Germany. The country is thirteenth from bottom of the world rankings, between Cuba and Afghanistan. The next most repressive country associated to Horizon Europe is Turkey. 

In a joint statement following Wednesday’s summit, EU and Egyptian leaders affirmed a “shared commitment” to human rights and fundamental freedoms.