EU Neighbourhood Policy Commissioner Johannes Hahn congratulated the Lebanese people on Monday 27 March for their welcoming of Syrian refugees, of whom there are currently more than a million although the population of the country is barely 6.3 million.
"I came to Lebanon once again to acknowledge and commend everything the country has done to cope with the refugees' crisis. The country did great work, particularly its citizens", Hahn said at a press conference a few days ahead of the conference on Syria (in Brussels on 4 and 5 April). He added: "When it comes to Lebanon, I think it is important to express our gratitude to the ordinary citizens and the host communities for what they have done and what they have suffered because it is not easy to accommodate such a challenge".
Pointing out that the EU has provided more than a billion euros for dealing with the Syrian crisis, the commissioner promised that Europe would continue its support. He said: "Lebanon did a great job and deserves to be supported. It is equally important to take care of our neighbours and invest in the country, as was the clear request of the prime minister [Saad Hariri]".
"That is why we had to look into all the opportunities, how we can further stimulate the country in terms of foreign investments. There are many opportunities and potentials that we have to look into in the future, on the trade side but also in vocational training in order to prepare skilled labour workforce for investors, which we believe is extremely important", the commissioner said.
Hahn and Hariri discussed the question of loans at very low interest rates co-financed by the EU, requested by the Lebanese prime minister. Hahn said this could be seen as an additional stimulus to the economy.
The commissioner announced a new programme on Tuesday 28 March, worth €62 million, to support primary healthcare, such as vaccinations, from now until 31 December 2019. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)