EU vows to double efforts as Lebanon requests migrant return support

The European Union will financially and politically support Lebanon until the end of 2027, Enlargement and Neighbourhood Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi said amid calls from the country for help in returning migrants to their country of origin.

The news comes amid concerns that instability in Lebanon and the region due to Israel’s war on Gaza could trigger waves of migration towards Europe.

“Lebanon can continue to count on our financial and political support during the forthcoming years, at least until the end of this multi-annual financial period running until 2027,” Várhelyi said during his visit to Beirut on Monday (22 April).

EU leaders “have made it clear that the EU is ready to continue to support the Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Jordan, and Türkiye,” he added.

The commissioner explained it is clear the EU needs to double efforts to combat human trafficking and smuggling while enforcing border protection to stem irregular migration.

“When it comes to the long-term stability and prosperity of Lebanon, we want to reaffirm our continued support for Lebanon and its people, especially for the most vulnerable groups,” the commissioner said.

Last week, EU leaders discussed ways to support Lebanon with an economic aid package expected to be delivered by the European Commission next month.

Lebanon: Refugees, proximity to conflict, instability, make EU leaders nervous

Fearing new migration waves toward Europe, EU leaders are looking at ways to support Lebanon with economic aid package to be delivered by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in the coming days.

Euractiv understands that the package could resemble the so-called “cash-for-migrants” deals the EU signed with Tunisia, Mauritania, and Egypt in recent months.

After Cyprus raised concerns over the risk of increased migration triggered by the Gaza war, Commissioner Margaritis Schinas said in March the EU is set to strike a deal with Lebanon to stem the flow.

“We had worked with Egypt for quite some time, but I consider that it’s absolutely realistic to move in a corresponding manner with Lebanon,” Schinas said while visiting Cyprus.

Lebanon has been facing a crippling economic crisis since 2019, and it currently hosts around 1.5 million Syrian refugees.

During Monday’s meetings with EU officials, Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati also urged the bloc to assist Lebanon in returning displaced Syrians to their country.

Mikati said the EU “must change its policy with regard to assisting the displaced Syrians in Lebanon” while European “assistance should be directed towards achieving their return to their country,” news agency NNA reported.

The Lebanese prime minister also called for more support to the country’s armed forces and security services and “development and investment projects in Lebanon in the fields of renewable energy, water and sustainable development”.

[Edited by Alice Taylor]

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