The European Union (EU) has committed an additional €25 million, equivalent to 29 million dollars, to expand migration cooperation into eastern Libya, according to a letter from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to EU leaders.
The funding will support border management, search-and-rescue operations and anti-smuggling activities in eastern Libya, signalling deeper EU engagement with the region controlled by military commander Khalifa Haftar as Brussels seeks to curb irregular migration across the Mediterranean.
Libya, where control is divided between rival western and eastern administrations, has remained a major transit route for migrants attempting the dangerous sea crossing to Europe since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi.
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The EU and its member states have long supported and trained the Libyan coastguard, which intercepts migrants at sea. Although the bloc formally recognises only the Tripoli-based government, it has stepped up contacts with authorities in eastern Libya since last year amid increased migrant departures from areas controlled by Haftar.
The latest funding follows the EU’s July announcement that it would establish a Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, further expanding cooperation with authorities in the region.
“Libya remains the top country of departure for illegal crossings to the EU,” von der Leyen wrote, describing an upcoming EU-Libya meeting as an opportunity to sustain cooperation.
She added that the EU and the International Organisation for Migration were supporting voluntary returns from Libya to migrants’ countries of origin.
“We are equally focused on reducing the number of migrants arriving to Libya with the sole intention to cross illegally into the EU,” she added.
Reuters
