CAIRO — It seems bizarre that only a year has passed since the European Parliament called for a halt to military aid and weapons sales to Egypt following the killing of the Italian student, Giulio Regeni, in Cairo. Member states demanded back then, in March 2016, that Egyptian authorities stop their human rights violations. They also ruled out any new cooperation initiatives from the Egyptian side, saying Egypt’s ongoing repression meant relations could not carry on as normal.

But this year, Cairo hosted one of the EU's most powerful figures, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who promised half a billion dollars to support Egypt’s economic program.

Germany was not the first European country to offer aid to Egypt: Days before Merkel’s March 2 visit, UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson visited Cairo on Feb. 25 and announced a $150 million financial package to support the country.

A review of data from Egypt’s State Information Service shows that, over the course of 2016, there was a clear rapprochement between Egypt and Europe, as reflected in two-way official visits. European states have become noticeably muted on Egypt’s rights violations. Meetings between the two sides have mainly focused on security and economic cooperation, reflecting a change in Europe’s position on the Egyptian regime.