Earlier this month, Portuguese MEP Ana Gomes and 22 other members of European Parliament (EP) published a letter of concern to the leaders of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), European Union, European Council, and the European Parliament. In the letter, the MEPs identified Egypt’s recent policies – such as the new NGO foreign funding law and unjustified travel bans – as evidence of deepening hostility towards civil society. They stated that crackdowns on dissent violate the “principles of democracy and pluralism in accordance with Article 1 of the Agreement Establishing the Bank.” MEPs urged the EBRD leadership to make future loan agreements contingent upon tangible evidence that the Egyptian government will cease the harassment and intimidation of civil society. Gomes is also a member of the World Movement for Democracy Steering Committee.