A coalition of 41 civil society organisations and experts has raised alarm over ongoing negotiations for a working agreement between Europol and Egypt, arguing that such an arrangement would risk normalising documented police misconduct and creating pathways for the transfer of personal information.

Europol-Egypt agreement could negatively impact human rights

The organisations—spanning migrants' rights, refugee advocacy, digital rights and human rights sectors—have issued an open letter expressing deep concerns about potential cooperation between the European Union and Egypt, particularly regarding consequences for human rights protections within Egypt.

The EU is currently in talks to establish a working agreement between Europol and Egypt focused on law enforcement cooperation, despite widespread and well-documented human rights violations and political repression by Egyptian authorities. The signatories are calling on the EU to abandon the agreement and demanding that the European Commission disclose whether any due diligence assessments have been carried out.

Egypt holds approximately 60,000 political prisoners. Both the UN Committee against Torture and the Human Rights Committee have documented "consistent allegations" of "systematic use of torture and ill-treatment by police officers, prison guards" and military personnel, "mainly against political opponents and Government critics". The UN has also flagged Egypt's expansive definition of terrorism, which authorities have weaponised against political dissenters—a particularly troubling context given that the EU's stated rationale for police cooperation with Egypt centres on counterterrorism and "prevention of radicalisation".

The Europol working agreement would risk legitimising the Egyptian police's illegal practices

Formalising ties with Europol could confer political legitimacy on Egyptian police forces as an official EU law enforcement partner, notwithstanding their documented track record in human rights violations and enforcement of authoritarian control. Even if data exchanges were restricted to non-personal information, the agreement carries substantial risk of undermining accountability mechanisms and judicial remedies while facilitating additional human rights breaches.

The organisations are requesting that the Commission clarify how it has assessed the proposed cooperation with Egyptian authorities given their established human rights record.

The EU is paving the way for a future agreement with Egypt

The proposed working agreement represents a potential stepping stone toward expanded cooperation with Egyptian authorities, as the EU is encouraging Egypt to begin negotiations on a formal international agreement with Europol that would facilitate personal data exchanges. This initiative aligns with a broader EU strategy to strengthen police and judicial cooperation with Mediterranean-region countries, encompassing border management and migration control—an approach that fundamentally contradicts the EU's professed commitment to fundamental rights.

Our requests to the European Commission

  • Disclose whether human rights or data protection due diligence has been undertaken, including impact assessments as requested by the European Parliament, and if so, release the findings publicly.
  • Cease all efforts to conclude any police cooperation agreement with Egypt.
  • Leverage its influence with Egypt to push for reforms that strengthen human rights protections, civil liberties, the rule of law and democratic institutions.

Source: EDRi (European Digital Rights)