EU urged to 'tread carefully' in dealings with Egypt

The EU has been urged to "tread very carefully" in its dealings with Egypt in the wake of the country's revolution.

Speaking in parliament on Wednesday, Sir Graham Watson said the country still faced "serious problems", including rising unemployment, poverty and corruption.

He pointed out that these were among the issues which sparked the protests against the country's 30-year regime of president Hosni Mubarak.

"Urgent action is needed and we do not have the luxury of time," declared Watson, a keynote speaker at a public hearing to mark the first anniversary of the Egyptian uprising.

The debate, jointly organised by the Greens/EFA group in parliament, comprised experts from Egypt, the EU and the world of academia.

It was held after Egypt's governing military council last week set out the rules for the country's first presidential election since the uprising that ousted Hosni Mubarak.

The rules stipulate that candidates have to be born in Egypt to Egyptian parents, not be dual nationals, and not be married to a foreigner.

No date has yet been set for the poll, but the military council has promised it will be held by the end of June.

Watson, a former ALDE group leader, said the revolution was a reminder of "how democracy can break the chains of history".

But he voiced concern about Egypt's immediate future, saying, "I am not convinced it has a coherent vision and this will need to change in the coming months.

"We will have to see if the military-appointed government will work but, if it does not, I have no doubt that the Egyptian people will vent their feelings. Unless the wishes of the people are respected and reforms are not delivered I think you can fully expect more very large demonstrations again."

Watson, whose own-initiative report on how the EU deals with dictatorships is due to be adopted by parliament on Thursday, added, "The EU has to tread carefully, particularly in how Egyptians view the EU.

"The EU must continue to engage with political parties in Egypt but it has to realise that Egyptians do not want too much European influence in their society."

Addressing the same event, Portuguese MEP Ana Gomes criticised the EU for its "slow reaction" to the uprising in Egypt and elsewhere in the Arab world.

But she was also critical of Egypt's leaders for declining to allow EU observers oversee recent parliamentary elections, saying, "It was weird when you consider that observers are normally welcomed by countries in transition."

Another speaker, Badr Abeldatty, Egypt's deputy ambassador to Belgium, urged the EU to "keep the pressure" on the country's rulers to continue the democratisation process.

He also welcomed the EU's commitment to provide economic aid, adding, "No democracy is ever built on empty stomachs".