The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced that the European Union will allocate €1 billion to Beirut for the period from 2024 to 2027. The support is aimed at combating illegal migration, but the allocated funds are also planned to be used to strengthen education, social protection and healthcare.
Von der Leyen's visit to Beirut was the result of decisions taken during a special meeting of the European Council held in April 2024. At that time, the EU countries " confirmed the EU's determination to support the most vulnerable people in Lebanon, including refugees, internally displaced persons and host communities, as well as strengthening support to Lebanese Armed Forces, combating human trafficking and smuggling". EU support measures for Lebanon, according to the European Commission, will be aimed at:
- support to basic services such as education, health, social protection and water to the most vulnerable people in Lebanon, including refugees, internally displaced persons, and host communities;
- assisting urgent domestic reforms, in particular those requested by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), including in the banking sector, contributing to improved economic situation and business environment;
- support for border and migration management, including combating human trafficking and smuggling, strengthened support to the Lebanese Armed Forces.
"My visit today is a strong testimony of the EU's continued support to Lebanon and its people. This was also the clear message of European leaders at our last summit, and are committed to provide strong financial support to the country in view of the significant challenges it faces. The €1 billion until 2027 will provide much needed assistance to the people in Lebanon and contribute to its security and stability"
Ursula von der Leyen, The head of the European Commission
The support provided by the EU will be implemented in the form of grants and will be more aimed at helping Lebanon solve the problems that the country faces when accepting Syrian refugees. Von der Leyen said that the EU understands the problems faced by Lebanon and notes the importance of ensuring the well-being of both refugees and their host communities. The head of the EC also stressed the importance of Lebanon's cooperation with the European Border Agency Frontex to support legal routes for refugees to Europe, as well as to combat illegal migration and human traffickers.
At the same time, Acting Minister for Displaced Persons of Lebanon Issam Sharaf al-Din, in an interview with a TASS correspondent, said that the allocated funds would not solve migration problems and "would not free Lebanon from the presence of over 2.2 million Syrian refugees." According to him, Beirut was counting on a fundamental change in the EU's approach to resolving the crisis situation related to displaced persons, which would involve encouraging refugees "not to stay in Lebanon, but to return to their homeland."
Earlier, the European Border Agency Frontex reported that in 2023 the number of illegal border crossings with the European Union reached 355.3 thousand cases – the highest rate since 2016. At the same time, a significant part of the crossings occurred to refugees from Syria, who crossed into EU countries through Lebanon. This led to the decision to work more closely with Beirut. A similar agreement was reached with Tunisia in the summer of 2023. At that time, the European Union and Tunisia signed a memorandum of understanding in the field of strategic and comprehensive partnership, the key aspect of which was the interaction of the parties in countering illegal migration.
Source - European Commission
