EU leaders accused of ‘rewarding repression’ with €7.4bn Egypt deal

Agreement to be signed off on Sunday is part of bloc’s attempt to stop refugees crossing Mediterranean

European leaders are set to sign off on a €7.4bn deal with Egypt just days after members of the European parliament accused Brussels of “bankrolling dictators”.

The EU-Egypt strategic partnership agreement forms part of the bloc’s latest attempt to stop refugees crossing the Mediterranean and comes less than a year after the EU signed a controversial €150m (£128m) migration and economic pact with Tunisia.