A cross-party group of young MEPs have written (1) to EU foreign policy high representative Ashton pressing her to ensure greater urgency in the EU response to the situation in Egypt and calling for stronger and more concrete action. Commenting on the initiative, Greens/EFA MEP Emilie Turunen said:

"We are fed up of watching the EU and its foreign policy representative Cathy Ashton sit on their hands despite the urgency of the situation in Egypt. Mubarak needs to go now, so the will of the Egyptian people for democratic transformation can be delivered, and the EU must do more to ensure this and do so much quicker. Our frustration, as young MEPs, at the EU's procrastination has led us to take this initiative. We expect a swift response in actions and not words."

(1) The cross-party letter has been signed by 17 young MEPs from the EPP, ALDE, S&D and Greens/EFA groups. The following MEPs have coordinated the signatures in their respective groups: Alexander Alvaro (ALDE, Germany), Damien Abad (EPP, France), Said El Khadraoui (S&D, Netherlands), and Emilie Turunen (Greens/EFA, Denmark).

The letter can be found at the following url:

http://www.greens-efa.org/cms/topics/dokbin/370/370037.egypt_cross_party_action_from_young_meps@en.pdf