The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is involved in supporting a number of oil and gas exploration and development projects in Egypt.

Egyptian legislation requires that operating companies commission an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for oil and gas development activities, but often these EIAs do not generally contain comprehensive biodiversity baseline surveys, special consideration for protected areas, the assessments of critical habitats or priority biodiversity features or the need for biodiversity management plans.

The Bank proposes therefore to appoint a competent international expert