An EU flag.AFP illustration photo
The European Union (EU) "has decided to allocate 205.5 million euros" to Lebanon, in several areas including border management, the EU delegation announced in a press release issued on Thursday. This new installment of financial aid is aimed at "supporting the country's stability and recovery," the text states.
Among other things, the EU intends to "help Lebanon improve its border management, by offering financial and technical assistance to bring it into line with international standards," arguing that it is important to ensure the country's security "in the face of uncertainty and regional threats."
The border between Lebanon and Syria is porous and open to numerous smuggling operations. Tensions regularly erupt between smugglers and Lebanese security forces.
Brussels also wants to help Lebanon "implement a fiscal policy and public finance management measures that will increase public revenues and improve economic conditions in the country once the IMF program is in place."
Lebanon's unprecedented economic crisis has plunged the majority of the population below the poverty line since 2019, according to the UN. In April 2022, Beirut reached an agreement in principle with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a $3 billion loan over four years, but since then the authorities have failed to implement the substantial changes required.
At the level of Lebanese public institutions, the EU seeks, in particular, to "improve the management of the water sector," adds the text.
In August, a project financed by Brussels and implemented by Unicef, the United Nations Children's Fund, was launched to restore 11 water treatment plants and support their operating costs by 2025. Thirty million euros of EU funding had been taken from the total budget of 179 million euros allocated in 2022 to aid the Syrian refugee crisis in Lebanon. Last March, the European Commission had also announced 60 million euros in humanitarian aid for the most vulnerable populations, including Syrian refugees and Lebanese citizens in need.