The European Union has announced a 7.4 billion-euro ($8.06bn) aid package and an upgraded relationship with Egypt, part of a new deal to stem migrant flows to Europe that has been criticized by rights groups. The aid package includes both grants and loans over the next three years, with the EU saying it is upgrading its relationship with the Arab world’s most populous country to a “strategic partnership”. El-Sisi’s office said in a statement that the deal with the EU aims to achieve “a significant leap in cooperation and coordination between the two sides and to achieve common interests”.