Egypt media crackdown draws ‘lame’ response from EU Commission

The European Commission will not help journalists facing jail in Egypt even though its multi-billion-euro EU-Egypt deal signed in 2024 is conditional on human rights. On Thursday (29 October), it read out a prepared statement, noting the importance of independent media outlets and that its agreement with Egypt includes a commitment to universal values of democracy, rule of law and human rights. The statement was read after Cairo cracked down on Lina Attalah, chief editor of the independent media outlet Mada Masr. The journalist was convicted on Wednesday by a court in Cairo for alleged “false news” and for operating a website without a licence even though she had made multiple attempts over the years to obtain such a licence. Her latest application for a licence has been pending without response since 2023 and her site has been blocked in Egypt since 2017. She was fined some €48,000 and ordered to shut down the outlet, highlighting a pattern of abuse against journalists and civil society throughout Egypt, a country deemed an essential partner for the EU in its efforts to curb migration. As of early October, Egypt has imprisoned 25 journalists. In response, the commission at a press briefing re-read its short statement on the importance of independent media in Egypt. Asked if this also means it would press Egypt to drop its case against Lina Attalah, a commission spokesperson said he would not "go further than what we have already put out there". Pressed if the crackdown against her is a demonstration of the values cited in its €7.4bn agreement with Egypt, he deferred to another spokesperson before walking off the stage. No other comment was made on the matter. The response has drawn criticism from rights defenders. “We don’t need the EU to tell us that Egypt jails journalists. We need to know what it’s going to do about it," said Claudio Francavilla of Human Rights Watch. He said the EU has been funnelling billions to Egypt, conditioned on “concrete and credible steps” on human rights. The exact wording of the agreement, which is published here, says that assistance to Egypt requires it "to make concrete and credible steps" towards respecting effective democracy, the rule of law, and guarantees respect for human rights. "Egyptian authorities don’t seem to have read the memo. Lame statements like this one are hardly a reminder," Francavilla said of the commission's reaction.