CAIRO, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- The trade volume between Egypt and the European Union (EU) surpassed 27 billion euros (about 29.78 billion U.S. dollars) in 2018, Egyptian Planning Minister Hala al-Saeed said on Tuesday.
The minister's comments came during a celebration held by the Swedish embassy in Cairo to mark the launch of the "EU Initiative on Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women", according to Egypt's official MENA news agency.
The minister highlighted the importance of the time-honored relations binding Egypt and the EU that entail coordination and cooperation in various fields.
"The EU is a key partner of Egypt in the sectors of trade, investment, primary education and scientific research," the minister noted.
As for the political empowerment of women, al-Saeed stressed that Egypt exerts efforts to ensure gender equality within the framework of partnership and cooperation with the EU.
She said that the government managed to take the number of female ministers up by 25 percent, the highest record in Egypt's history.
The ratio of female lawmakers increased to 15 percent, compared with only 2 percent in 2011, the minister added.
