Parliamentary question - E-002160/2016Parliamentary question
E-002160/2016

Economic and social reform and development in Lebanon

Question for written answer E-002160-16
to the Commission
Rule 130
Ramona Nicole Mănescu (PPE) , Barbara Kappel (ENF) , Ivo Vajgl (ALDE) , Mariya Gabriel (PPE) , Cristian Dan Preda (PPE) , Philippe Juvin (PPE)

In the light of the Syrian conflict, Lebanon is the country hosting the highest number of refugees per capita in the world.

In addition to the security challenges and the internal political crisis, the cost of the presence of refugees in Lebanon was estimated by the World Bank at USD 5.6 billion in 2015.

Given that the country is under a burden of USD 72 billion of public debt, and given the unsustainable situation, it is necessary to urgently support Lebanon in order to maintain the model of diversity, entrepreneurship and a vibrant civil society and private sector.

1. Does the Commission plan to provide additional funding via grants in order to support the Lebanese economy and infrastructure, and to offer concessional loans for infrastructure projects which would benefit both the Syrian refugees and the host communities in Lebanon?

2. Does the Commission plan to offer financial assistance to support the lowering of the interest rate on treasury bonds in Lebanon?

3. Is the Commission intending to directly help local communities and municipalities in Lebanon, in order to implement the projects more efficiently and avoid them being blocked at the political level?