Over the past two years, the European Union and Lebanon have deepened their partnership, according to an EU report released today. Given the growing challenges facing the country, particularly due to the Syrian crisis, the EU has increased its support for Lebanon and strengthened its diplomatic ties and cooperation in areas such as security, good governance and trade.
These are the conclusions of the joint report released by the European External Action Service and the European Commission on the partnership between the EU and Lebanon covering the period from March 2015 to April 2017. The report comes ahead of the 8th EU-Lebanon Association Council, due to be held in Brussels on 18 July.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini said: “The European Union and Lebanon have a strong and lasting relationship based on joint work and close cooperation in many areas. We are working together on security, counter-terrorism and regional crises, but also on the growth and job creation that is fundamental for all Lebanese … “
Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy Johannes Hahn added that the EU supported Lebanon in many areas, ranging from security, to education and health. He said EU funds and EU-Lebanon relations in general had “contributed to the country’s socio-economic development, helped improve infrastructure, created opportunities for the private sector and supported important initiatives at the local level.”
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