An employment center in Cairo will offer training for young people and help them to find jobs in the European Union. The project is aimed at promoting legal migration pathways to Europe.
An Italian-Egyptian job center will soon be set up in Cairo to explore training opportunities for Egyptian youths and help them to find employment in European Union countries.
The project was discussed at a meeting on Wednesday, June 5, between Italy's ambassador to Cairo, Michele Quaroni, and Egyptian immigration minister, Soha Gendy.
Framework of Mattei Plan and strategic partnership agreement
Ambassador Quaroni explained that the project is part of the so-called Mattei Plan – aimed at creating a new strategic partnership with African countries and addressing the root causes of irregular migration – and the recent strategic partnership agreement between Egypt and the European Union.
The agreement covers various sectors of collaboration, including migration and human resources development, in which Egypt "plays an important role as a key partner in the management of migration flows, in line with Rome's double objective: fighting illegal immigration and promoting legal pathways of migration," the ambassador said.
The new center "will contribute significantly to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries," continued Quaroni, expressing the hope that it will be set up "as soon as possible and with every necessary measure to make it work."
Italy has increased cooperation with Egypt in a number of sectors such as sustainable agriculture, financial support to small and medium-sized companies, investments in infrastructure and transport, and cooperation in the industrial sector and tourism.
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The importance of cooperation between Egypt and Italy
The Egyptian minister, for her part, stressed the importance of cooperation with Italy to strengthen legal migration pathways and educational initiatives aimed at promoting employment.
"We will work with every means possible so Egyptian youths will have the possibility of accessing high-quality professional training to then have safe and valued job opportunities," Gendy said, citing Italian educational facilities already present in Egypt, including the Don Bosco schools in Cairo and Alexandria and another one in Fayoum.