Speech: Ambassador Christian Berger, Head of the EU Delegation to Egypt

“Dear Minister, dear Secretary General, dear Directors, friends of Egypt and its marvelous history and culture, ladies and gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure being here as representative of the European Union and even more so as a friend of this beautiful building, housing a world class collection on behalf of humanity. A collection I visited the first time 51 years ago and many times since.

Cultural heritage enriches the individual lives of citizens, is part of our humanity and gives us purpose and meaning; it is also a driving force for the cultural and creative sectors; the EU plays an important role in preserving cultural heritage, in Europe and through its international cooperation, with its neighbours, especially here in Egypt.

The project Transforming the Egyptian Museum of Cairo has been a challenging yet rewarding undertaking and I would like to take a few moments to appreciate its achievements.

This project is the result of an extra-ordinary collaboration between the mother of all Egyptian museums, and a Consortium of five major European Museums: Museo Egizio of Turin, le Louvre, British Museum, Berlin Museum, Leiden Museum.

It was also a complex project because of the scope of the work, including:

1. Developing a masterplan for the museum

2. New displays in five galleries

3. Producing a detailed study of the building, and

4. Updating the information labels for the public.

It was a challenging project because of the parallel construction of the Grand Egyptian Museum and the needed repositioning of this Museum in terms of ensuring a rewarding experience for the visitors.

Despite difficulties, Corona and all, the main parts of the project were achieved: the Masterplan was successfully delivered to the Egyptian Museum and the Egyptian authorities, with the Arabic version delivered today. It contains recommendations on the refurbishment of the building and suggestions on how to implement scientific, educational and digital strategies for the benefit of the visitors. I hope the European expertise will be useful in this regard. […]”