On Wednesday 22 April, Josep Borrell, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, called for increased international cooperation in order to achieve a ceasefire in Libya. Despite international appeals, the fighting is escalating.
At the end of the meeting of the EU Member States' foreign ministers, he stated that “we need to increase our engagement with the most influential international actors and the parties in the conflict in order to reach agreement on a humanitarian truce”, that will be needed if the coronavirus is going to be tackled, “and a ceasefire, that will be needed before a political process can begin and the conflict end”.
A few days after Malta requested that more be done to prevent a humanitarian tragedy and mass departures of migrants to Europe (see EUROPE 12466/9), the ministers' discussion also focused on the migration issue. “There will be no long-term solution to migration problems until we manage to stabilise Libya. Unfortunately, this is not something that can be achieved overnight”, Borrell warned.
The High Representative also welcomed the announcement of €35 million in aid from the Visegrad countries to “increase Libya's health capacity” to combat the coronavirus. Hungarian Minister Péter Szijjártó said that the funds could also be used for border protection. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)