Relationship dossier
Egypt
Italy
Relationship assessment
Substantial energy and regional cooperation coexist with lasting tension over the killing of Giulio Regeni.
Egypt toward Italy
+10Egypt has pursued energy and regional cooperation with Italy, including the development of the Zohr gas field by Italian company Eni. However, Egypt’s handling of the investigation into Giulio Regeni’s 2016 killing in Cairo has been a major source of tension with Italy.
Italy toward Egypt
+20Italy has invested in Egypt’s energy sector, notably through Eni’s development of the Zohr gas field, and has maintained cooperation on regional issues. It has also pursued legal accountability for Giulio Regeni’s killing, including proceedings against Egyptian security officials, sustaining diplomatic friction.
Overall relationship
+20The relationship has durable economic and regional cooperation, especially in energy, alongside a serious and enduring dispute over the investigation and accountability for Giulio Regeni’s killing. Practical ties have continued despite that dispute, leaving the relationship substantially cooperative but constrained by unresolved legal and political tensions.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Egypt and Italy maintain substantial energy, trade, and security ties, including Italian investment in Egypt’s Zohr gas field and cooperation on regional issues. The 2016 killing of Italian researcher Giulio Regeni in Cairo caused a major diplomatic dispute and continues to weigh on relations, particularly over the investigation and accountability. The relationship combines practical cooperation with a persistent, serious legal and political tension.
Areas of tension
- Investigation and accountability for Giulio Regeni’s killing in Cairo
- Italian legal proceedings against Egyptian security officials accused in the Regeni case
Key developments
Giulio Regeni, an Italian researcher, was killed in Cairo, triggering a major dispute between the two governments.
Italy recalled its ambassador to Egypt amid the dispute over the Regeni investigation.
Italy’s Eni announced the discovery of the Zohr gas field offshore Egypt, a major basis for bilateral energy cooperation.
Italy returned its ambassador to Egypt after a period of diplomatic withdrawal, while the Regeni case remained unresolved.
Major uncertainties
- The extent of Egyptian cooperation with Italian efforts to establish accountability for Giulio Regeni’s killing remains contested.
- The current scope and implementation of bilateral security and migration cooperation are unclear.