MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the situation in Lebanon
14.9.2021 - (2021/2878(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 132(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Thierry Mariani, Jérôme Rivière, Anna Bonfrisco, Susanna Ceccardi, Marco Campomenosi
on behalf of the ID Group
B9‑0466/2021
European Parliament resolution on the situation in Lebanon
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on the situation in Lebanon and the Middle East,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership,
– having regard to the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement establishing an Association between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Lebanon, of the other part[1],
– having regard to the Cairo Agreement between Lebanon and the Palestine Liberation Organization of 1969,
– having regard to the remarks by the President of the European Council Charles Michel of 4 August 2021 at the international conference in support of the Lebanese people,
– having regard to the statement by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of 14 September 2021 on the situation in Lebanon,
– having regard to Rule 132(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas the explosion in the port of Beirut on 4 August 2020 has had dramatic consequences on the morale of the country; whereas after the explosion in the port of Beirut, the Prime Ministers-designate Mustapha Adib, Hassan Diab and Saad Hariri never managed to form a government; whereas several months later, on 10 September 2021, Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati announced the formation of a new government;
B. whereas the devaluation of the Lebanese pound resulted in a devastating economic and monetary crisis, which has in turn gravely affected social conditions in Lebanon;
C. whereas the war in Syria has been going on for approximately 10 years, causing mass emigration and resulting in the presence of nearly 1.5 million Syrian refugees on Lebanese soil, 879 000 of whom are registered with the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, in a country of less than 7 million inhabitants;
D. whereas the European Union alone has distributed more than EUR 2.3 billion to Lebanon since 2011, including EUR 722 million in humanitarian funding to respond to urgent needs, most of which has benefited Syrian refugees in Lebanon;
E. whereas there are still more than 170 000 Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, not counting those who have recently arrived from Syria; whereas the Cairo Agreement played a part in triggering the Lebanese civil war;
F. whereas the proposal, supported by Ban Ki-moon in 2016, to naturalise refugees who have no prospect of being repatriated in the short term is very concerning;
G. whereas the attacks that targeted the city of al-Qaa on 27 June 2016, during which four suicide bombers killed five people, could have claimed many more victims without the heroic action of the city’s mayor, who neutralised the most dangerous of the attackers; whereas the attacks in Burj al-Barajneh on 12 November 2015 by two suicide bombers claimed the lives of more than 40 people;
H. whereas the repeated foreign interference in Lebanon by numerous regional and international powers undermine all attempts to achieve a political balance in Lebanon;
I. whereas on 8 August 2020, the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs offered Turkish citizenship to a large number of Lebanese nationals;
J. whereas the Christian community in Lebanon is represented by various political parties, both critical of and allied to the government; whereas the political rights of the Christian community should not be weakened;
K. whereas there are several rumours about plans to postpone the legislative and municipal elections in Lebanon;
L. whereas the European Union announced that it will seek to generate EUR 1.5 billion worth of investment in Lebanon in three years as of 6 April 2018;
M. whereas European Council President Charles Michel has announced a regime of sanctions by the European Union against Lebanon; whereas the sanctions recently imposed on states in the Middle East have often had social and humanitarian consequences for the peoples of the states they were aimed at without making any political difference;
1. Expresses its solidarity with the Lebanese people, especially with the victims of the explosion of 4 August 2020 and the victims of the numerous violent events that occurred during the summer of 2021 due to the fuel shortage;
2. Stresses that despite the great resilience of the country, which was constantly demonstrated during and after the Lebanese civil war, the exodus of Lebanese people, and especially its middle class, will lead to a brain drain and jeopardise the future of the country;
3. Stresses the destabilising effects that the war in Syria has had in the whole of the Middle East, particularly because of the migration of Syrians to neighbouring countries; considers, in this respect, that the obligation imposed on Lebanon by the international community to continue to host more than one million Syrian refugees on its territory has accelerated the economic crisis, the deterioration of infrastructure and demographic tension in the country;
4. Considers that the international aid given to Syrian refugees must be re-evaluated in the light of the economic developments in Lebanon and the impoverishment of Lebanese families; underlines that while this aid is distributed in dollars, the Lebanese currency is continuously depreciating; notes that this situation nurtures inflation and leads to a situation where Syrian families are receiving more subsidies than Lebanese families;
5. Regrets the fact that after the numerous mistakes made in the reception of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, notably under the Cairo Agreement, and the creation of so-called extraterritorial zones in Lebanon, the international community is seeking to violate Lebanese sovereignty, either by pressuring Lebanon to grant Lebanese citizenship to these refugees or by encouraging the creation of new extraterritorial zones;
6. Recalls that Syrian refugees have already committed Islamist attacks in Lebanon, including as part of cells originating from the refugee camp in the city of Arsal that have murdered several people in the Christian town of al-Qaa, or other cells which orchestrated the horrendous attacks in Burj al-Barajneh;
7. Expresses concern that the deteriorating economic situation and the unrest caused by the presence of large numbers of Syrian refugees are two factors creating an environment conducive to all kinds of international interference in Lebanon; draws particular attention to the growing Turkish influence in the north of the country, which could have serious consequences for the eastern Mediterranean, especially Cyprus;
8. Considers that under these conditions, it is important that a new government is formed to serve the Lebanese people and to offer clarity to the international community as to the future of the country; specifies that this new government should reflect the will of the people of Lebanon and should not be the result of international interference, which would automatically undermine its credibility: welcomes the formation of a long-awaited government;
9. Considers that the preservation of the role, representation and influence of Christian communities must not be sacrificed in Lebanon, especially when it comes to political positions; welcomes, in this regard, the prominent role played by the Maronite Patriarch in the democratic conversation in the country;
10. Fears that any postponement of municipal and legislative elections in Lebanon would undermine the country’s international credibility; stresses that while the organisation of elections is indeed a sovereign prerogative of the country, their postponement would be a disaster for Lebanon’s image;
11. Considers that it is the duty of the Commission to provide transparent answers regarding the distribution and management of EU taxpayer funds that have been paid to Lebanon and recalls that the fight against corruption in the country is at the heart of the many demonstrations that have taken place in Lebanon since October 2019;
12. Recalls that Lebanon has historically benefited from privileged relations with the Member States of the European Union; warns that the destabilisation of the country poses a danger to the EU, specifically in the areas of security and migration;
13. Considers that any sanctions regime against Lebanon would require the greatest prudence given the economic, social and political consequences that sanctions could cause in the country;
14. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the European External Action Service, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, and the government-elect of the Republic of Lebanon.
- [1] OJ L 143, 30.5.2006, p. 2.