General Secretariat of the Egyptian European Association Agreement

The European Union-funded Support to the Association Agreement Programme (SAAP), affiliated to the Ministry of International Cooperation, was established to support the Egyptian administration implement the Association Agreement (AA) and the Egyptian-European Action Plan. The financing agreement was signed in December 2005 by the European Union (EU), represented by the European Commission (EC) Delegation, and the Egyptian government, represented by the Ministry of International Cooperation. It stipulates that the SAAP aims to upgrade the overall capacity of the Egyptian administration, focusing on three core areas: Trade and economic liberalization; Improvement and subsequent enforcement of the legislative and regulatory framework; Institutional strengthening and reform. To achieve these goals, the programme has made an operational fund available to the government of Egypt to help government and public bodies concerned with the implementation of the AA prepare and implement legislative, administrative and institutional changes to get the full benefit of the Agreement. The support takes several forms, including: Implementation of an institutional twinning programme, which is seen as a vital part of the SAAP and is an efficient and appropriate vehicle for achieving institutional reform and capacity Implementation of traditional Technical Assistance. Provision of equipment and supplies. Technical Assistance and Information Exchange (TAIEX). Support to the Implementation of Governance and Management (SIGMA).