After EU-Egypt deal EU chief sets eyes on Lebanon
The EU commissioner Margaritis Schinas reported that the European Union could settle on a deal with Lebanon to reduce migrants, according to Middle East Monitor and agencies on March 21st.
Commissioner Schinas said while on a visit to Cyprus that, “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.”
The comment follows an earlier “strategic partnership” deal made between the European Union and Egypt to cut down on migration, on March 17th. The EU declared a €7.4 billion funding package to Egypt, of which €200 million is dedicated for managing migration alone. The deal is exceptionally attractive to Egypt – promising to boost trade, security, and renewable energy – with grants and other funding also being rolled out over the next three years to support its weak economy,
Such agreements are supposedly “the best way to address migratory flows”, according to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who oversaw the agreement in Cairo.
READ: EU makes “strategic partnership” deal with Egypt
It has now appeared Egypt has set a trend the EU hopes other countries will follow.
However, the EU has come under heavy criticism for striking deals with several countries to reduce migrants coming into Europe.
Doctors without Borders (MSF) has recently criticised the EU for its financial and logistical backing of the Libyan coast guard, after pushing a boat with 146 migrants on it back to Libya. Yet despite the North African country’s increasing mistreatment of migrants, the EU has refused to cut back funding, continuing to pour money into coast guard interventions ranging from Tunisia to Morocco. The UK has also recently pledged to give Libya £1 million to counter migration to Europe earlier this month.
READ: EU urged to cease support for Libyan coast guard
After meeting with Schinas the Interior Minister of Cyprus, Constantinos Ioannou, expressed the “asphyxiating pressure” of Syrian migrants on the island.
Cyprus spans a mere 160 kilometres from Syria and Lebanon. On 11th March alone, 458 Syrians arrived. Authorities registered 533 boats arrivals in the month of March – compared to only 36 arrivals in March 2023.
In the face of this huge increase, the Cypriot government reportedly wants areas of Syria to be declared safe. Doing so would facilitate the migrants’ repatriation.
According to the UN, 34,000 migrants have made their way to the EU through illegal routes, primarily across the Mediterranean.
Greece is similarly struggling with the arrival of migrants from Egypt – apparently arriving through new migration routes through the Mediterranean.
Yet it is an incredibly dangerous journey, with organisation Missing Migrants Project recording a total of 3,041 people dead or missing attempting to cross the Mediterranean in 2023.
Middle East Monitor / Agencies
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