THE EU intends to fast-track some of its aid money to Egypt using an urgent funding procedure that bypasses parliamentary oversight and other safeguards.

The €1 billion (£854.8 million) intended for this is part of a larger package of €7.4bn (£6.3bn) in financial assistance to the North African country that the EU announced on March 17.

European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen blamed “a very large exposure to the economic effects of Russia’s full-scale war of aggression on Ukraine, the wars in Gaza and Sudan, and the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea,” and said it was “imperative to make sure that a first significant contribution” would get to Egypt by the end of 2024.

To do so, the commission would employ a seldom-used part of the EU treaties, Article 213, which stipulates that the 27 member countries must endorse the funds — but not the parliament, the bloc’s only democratically elected institution.

Not even when Covid-19 spread in 2020 and the EU bailed out governments from the Balkans to the Middle East was this path taken. Nor is it used to keep Ukraine’s war-shattered economy afloat, although Kyiv did benefit from it a decade ago, when Russia annexed Crimea and hiked natural gas prices.

Apart from removing the need for parliamentary oversight, the urgent funding procedure also side-steps a requirement for an impact assessment on the effects of the assistance.

The deal also includes a €1.8bn (£1.5bn) investment plan and €600m (£512m) in loans, including at least €200m (£170m) that will go to Egypt for “migration management.”