The Delegation of the European Union issues the following statement together with the diplomatic missions of the EU Member States in Libya:

The two-day meetings in Tripoli of EU Ambassadors and Heads of Mission accredited to Libya, including those based in Tunis, offered an opportunity to engage in productive exchanges with the Chairman of the Presidential Council Mohamed Al Menfi and the Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, during meetings on 26 June. A meeting with the Chairman of the Board of the High National Elections Commission (HNEC) Emad Al Sayeh will take place tomorrow 27 June.

We acknowledge our common interest in a stable, secure, united and prosperous Libya. The European Union stands ready to assist Libya in its efforts to achieve peace and stability across the country.

The European Union is actively pursuing a diplomatic engagement to support our shared democratic values and principles of democracy and human rights, rule of law, good governance, market economy principles and sustainable development. Today, as Libya marked the tenth anniversary since the last election of the House of Representatives, we reiterate our support for renewing the legitimacy of all Libyan institutions throughout the country. The Libyan people have the right to choose their own leaders. In this context, we welcome the beginning of registration for the municipal elections and we support HNEC’s capacity and operations. We hope municipal elections can be an important preliminary step towards national elections. We encourage all relevant authorities and stakeholders to ensure that municipal elections proceed smoothly and safely across the country and to support HNEC, be it in terms of funding, logistics, or security.

We are convinced that the UN mediation aimed at an inclusive political solution remains the best approach to preserve the unity of Libya and ensure that all citizens, including women and youth, can realise their whole potential and thrive. We support UNSMIL’s efforts to revitalise the political process and we share DSRSG Koury’s concern about the de facto division of the country and parallel governing institutions. We call on all Libyan stakeholders to genuinely support and promote UNSMIL’s efforts.

The European Union stands ready to support the effort by all Libyan leaders to adopt and implement a unified national budget that ensures the transparent and accountable allocation of resources. We reiterate our availability to support such effort, including by promoting a revival of the Berlin Process’ Economic Working Group together with the other co-chairs. We encourage all concerned institutions to work closely with the Economic Working Group in the months ahead.

The European Union will continue to work with Libyan stakeholders towards strengthening civil society, human rights and free media, democratic governance, youth empowerment, and women empowerment and inclusion.

We value Libya as a Mediterranean partner in the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy and a reliable energy partner.