From Reuters:
A policy plan signed by Egypt and the European Union, worth 558 million euros ($733 million) to Egypt over four years, has much more carrot than stick when it comes to politics and human rights, experts said on Wednesday.
Political analysts and politicians said they doubted the European Union (EU) would ever threaten to withhold any of the aid money to punish the Egyptian government for any abuses.
“The aim is not to penalize but rather to encourage. The European approach will be very patient, very incremental and very supportive,” said a diplomat who asked not to be named.
The European diplomat said the money was already allocated to sectors and programs agreed by the two sides and the Europeans had no intention of linking it to performance benchmarks.