Updated with Ashton reaction to Mubarak speech (the first version was posted at 00:23)
The European Union's foreign policy chief said late Thursday that the Egyptian government must move quickly toward free elections and democracy, dpa reported.
"An orderly and irreversible transition towards democracy and free and fair elections is the shared objective of both the EU and the Egyptian people," EU High Representative Catherine Ashton said. "The lifting of the state of emergency is a step forward and must be implemented as soon as possible."
The statement came after President Hosny Mubarak spoke on Egyptian television, transferring at least some powers to his vice president but refusing to leave office, dashing expectations among protesters that he would step down.
"The demands and expectations of the Egyptian people must be met. It is for them to judge whether the steps announced by President Mubarak fulfill their expectations and aspirations," Ashton said. "President Mubarak has not yet opened the way to faster and deeper reforms."
She called for restraint by Egyptian authorities and the Army and hailed "the courage of the Egyptian people who have pursued their campaign for democratic change peacefully and with dignity."
French President Nicolas Sarkozy late Thursday in Paris said that Mubarak's handoff of powers was "unavoidable," calling it the right decision.
Earlier Thursday, Ashton said that the European Union will help Egyptians build a "deep democracy" no matter what happens in the coming days.
She had telephoned earlier with the Egyptian foreign minister, saying that the EU "will be ready with a package of measures to help and support the transition."
Ashton continues to insist that she wants to travel to Egypt "as soon as possible," despite a rejection of that requestion by Egyptian officials earlier this week.