On Monday 15 December, at the 9th EU-Lebanon Association Council, EU representatives highlighted the reforms undertaken by the country.
According to a joint declaration issued at the end of the Council, the EU and Lebanon expressed their willingness to continue reflecting on the modernisation of the Association Agreement and to explore the options for further strengthening bilateral relations, including the possibility of developing them into a strategic and comprehensive partnership.
Before the Council meeting, the European Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Šuica, announced that she had proposed to Lebanon that it begin negotiations on a strategic partnership agreement. “Of course, there are still points of disagreement concerning the IMF, the banking system and the Lebanese financial system. But once these issues have been resolved, we will be able to start negotiations for this comprehensive strategic partnership agreement”, she explained before the Council, adding that she was awaiting the Lebanese response.
At the Council, the EU gave its support to the implementation of measures aimed at strengthening State sovereignty, in particular by guaranteeing the monopoly of the use of force by legitimate State institutions. “In this context, the EU and Lebanon stressed the utmost importance of pursuing efforts towards disarmament of all non-state armed groups (...) and the full implementation of all Security Council resolutions”. The EU has expressed its willingness to step up its support for the Lebanese security sector by making full use of EU tools.
The parties stressed the urgency of pursuing comprehensive reforms in governance, the Rule of law, public finance management and the functioning of state institutions, recognising their essential role in supporting stability, economic recovery and facilitating access to international assistance.
Lebanon has invited the EU to deploy an Election Observation Mission for its general elections, which are due to take place by May 2026.
See the statement: https://aeur.eu/f/k0h (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)