Egypt

Water is scarce. Intensified by climate change, political failure, and the rising demand for agricultural export goods, people in the countries of North Africa are increasingly feeling the effects of water scarcity in their daily lives. What it means to live with too little water and yet not lose hope is illustrated by three contributions on Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco.

Young climate advocates are tying local actions to cross-border cooperation by linking regional grassroots clean-up activities to diplomatic efforts. They've harnessed their passion to establish climate-focused partnerships to protect the Mediterranean, one of the most plastics-polluted seas in the world, as they rally to drive various initiatives. Commentary by our 2026 Young Climate Leader Salma Abbass.

From 2024 to 2027, Egypt is slated to receive more EU aid than any other country, under a migration agreement which aims to prevent the arrival of refugees and migrants into the European Union.

Externalisation is increasingly seen as a lever for solving the EU’s migration issues, yet poses serious legal, ethical and practical problems. 

The European Commission has signed a new agreement with Egypt. One of the aims is to reduce migration to Europe. But this will most likely not succeed.

To mark the occasion, we will be publishing a series of literary essays by authors from the region over the next few weeks. The contributions reflect what the protagonists hoped for and how they look today at what they have achieved, a kind of "look back to the future". They make clear how important the personal confrontations are in order to develop political alternatives.