Lebanon

EU and Lebanon

The European Union (EU) cooperates with Lebanon in the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy  and its southern dimension, the “Renewed partnership with Southern Neighbourhood – A new Agenda for the Mediterranean”.

The EU-Lebanon Association Agreement entered into force in April 2006 and forms the legal basis of the partnership between the EU and Lebanon.

The EU-Lebanon Partnership Priorities were adopted at the EU-Lebanon Association Council on 11 November 2016. They set out the framework for EU political engagement and enhanced cooperation with Lebanon and aim at supporting Lebanon’s development as a stable, democratic, politically open, and economically strong country and promote reforms.

EU support to Lebanon

The Lebanese society is bearing the consequences of the political and socio-economic crisis, exacerbated by the 2020 Beirut port blast. Constantly adapting to an evolving environment, EU support is people-centred and pursues reforms in line with the principles and objectives defined in the Reform, Recovery and Reconstruction Framework (3RF). Moreover, EU support addresses the needs of the most vulnerable, including refugees from Syria and Lebanese host communities. It promotes crucial reforms while supporting authorities to better deliver public services to the most vulnerable segments of the population. The EU leads international support in basic services, such as primary health care, and education. For example, the EU supports Lebanon with the implementation of the Five-Year general education Plan 2021-2025 ensuring learning continuity through access to quality and inclusive education for the most vulnerable children, refugees from Syria and Lebanese host communities. In the area of good governance, the EU supports reforms in key areas of public administration in line with the principles of a modern public administration.

EU assistance to Lebanon is primarily funded through the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) for the period 2021-2027.

As set out in the Multiannual Indicative Programme (MIP) 2021-2027, the priority areas for cooperation are:

• Enhancing good governance and supporting reforms;
• strengthening an inclusive and resilient economy; and
• promoting a green and sustainable recovery.

The EU’s total assistance to Lebanon since 2011 amounts to more than €3.5 billion. This includes:

• €695 million in bilateral assistance.
• €1.056 billion in resilience assistance channelled through the EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis and € 752 million via NDICI since 2021 to help Lebanon cope with the impact of the Syria crisis, supporting refugees from Syria to strengthen their resilience and to become self-reliant, as well as supporting Lebanese host communities.
• €865 million in humanitarian assistance in response to the most urgent needs of refugees from Syria and vulnerable Lebanese.
• Lebanon benefits also from other EU thematic programmes and instruments, such as the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace, the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights and the European Peace Facility

The promotion and protection of human rights is an overarching theme for EU assistance in Lebanon, in line with the European consensus on development. Transparency, accountability, and the fight against corruption are pursued in all actions supported by bilateral cooperation.

Through the EU Roadmap for engagement with Civil Society in Lebanon, the EU continues to further deepen the partnership approach with civil society in promoting an enabling environment for their long-term engagement in the development and reform process in Lebanon.

Regional cooperation

In addition to bilateral cooperation, Lebanon benefits from regional and Neighbourhood-wide cooperation programmes in the sectors of security, economic cooperation, energy, environment, climate, transport, media, youth and culture.

Under the EU twinning tool, the Lebanese public administration is partnering with European administrations for mutual learning and capacity building through sharing of EU best practices. Since 2021, Lebanon benefitted from one Twinning project in the sector of transport and concluded a project in the sector of veterinary services and food safety. Lebanon also benefits from TAIEX (Technical Assistance and Information Exchange instrument), which supports public administrations with regard to the approximation, application and enforcement of EU legislation, with 21 events organised from 2021 until June 2023. TAIEX experts shared best practices on organic agriculture, preventing and combating sexual harassment, and countering antiquities trafficking. In addition, a functional review of the justice system has been performed.

Syrian refugee crisis

On 27 May, during the eighth edition of the Brussels Conference on “Supporting the future of Syria and the region” hosted by the European Union, the donor community pledged a total amount of € 7.5 billion. This strong commitment shows once more the willingness of the EU and the international community to mitigate the impact of the Syrian crisis; and support the populations both in Syria and in neighbouring countries. The total amount of pledges includes € 5 billion of grants and € 2.5 billion of loans for 2024 and beyond.

The overall figure includes the € 2.12 billion pledged by the EU for 2024 and 2025 and beyond, announced during the conference by High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, Josep Borrell. The total amount pledged by the EU and its Member States amounted to almost € 6 billion, reaffirming them as the largest donor to the Syria response.

UNRWA and Palestine refugees

Lebanon hosts around 202,000 Palestine refugees, of whom around 28,000 come from Syria, displaced for a second time. The country benefits from EU contributions to the central budget of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which will amount to €261 million between 2021 and 2024.

Other financing instruments

Lebanon participates in Erasmus+, which supports the modernisation of the higher education sector and promotes mobility and co-operation with EU higher education institutions. 3,471 Lebanese students, professors and university staff travelled to Europe, and 1,864 European counterparts travelled to Lebanon between 2015 and 2022.

Further information

Factsheets available to download