EU TIES BILLIONS IN AID TO EGYPT FOR MIGRATION CONTROL AT BRUSSELS SUMMIT

EU and Egypt hold their first summit in Brussels, where leaders are set to deepen economic ties and admit Egypt to the EU’s Horizon research program while linking aid to tighter migration control. The move is part of a broader Pact for the Mediterranean aimed at curbing irregular crossings to Europe. Rights groups warn of ongoing detentions and unfair trials in Egypt even as Brussels banks on Cairo to stop departures. Egypt, hosting about 9 million migrants, faces severe economic strain and reduced Suez Canal revenues amid regional turmoil.