Building relations with Lebanon: a look back on priorities, activities and achievement under the ENPI (2007-2013) The EU’s bilateral cooperation with Lebanon between 2007 and 2010 focused on responding to the country’s urgent post-conflict needs following the 2006 conflict with Israel – namely reconstruction and recovery activities and political and socio-economic reforms – while since the outbreak of the Syrian conflict support has focused on helping Lebanon cope with the influx of refugees, according to the DG EuropeAid report “European Neighbourhood Instrument 2007-2013 – Overview of Activities and Results”, recently released. Lebanon has been affected by the Syrian crisis at the political, economic and social level since its outbreak in 2011, the report adds. While by the end of 2013 more than 900,000 refugees from Syria had requested assistance from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), by mid-March 2014 this number had grown to over one million refugees registered or awaiting registration - and this number is expected to continue to increase. Against this background, ENPI interventions have since 2012 focused on education and child related activities of Lebanese and refugees alike, on support to communities particularly affected by the influx of refugees, and on infrastructure projects concentrating on solid waste management, water and sanitation, and the revival of the local economy. ENPI bilateral assistance committed for Lebanon totals €388 million over the period 2007-2013. For the country’s National Indicate Programme (NIP) 2007-2010, €179 million were committed, and €8 million for special measures. The NIP funding focused on support for political reform; social and economic reform; and reconstruction and recovery. The NIP 2011-2013 commitments came to €117 million for support to: political reform; social and economic reform; recovery and reinvigoration of the country; SPRING - democratic transformation and institution building; and SPRING - sustainable and inclusive growth and economic development. In the same period, €33 million were committed to special measures (from reoriented NIP funds) and €51 million for SPRING. SPRING (Support for Partnership, Reforms and Inclusive Growth), was introduced by the EU following the review of its policy and adoption of a more incentive-based approach towards the Neighbourhood in 2011, in order to channel additional assistance to selected partner countries. This programme, that supplements the financial allocations to countries as part of their NIP, is now fully integrated in the ENI (2014-2020), that has replaced the ENPI. The aim remains the same: to foster deep and sustainable democracy by rewarding reforms. More detailed information can be found in the EuropeAid report. Cooperation between the EU and Lebanon aims at directly or indirectly improving the lives of the citizens. Here is one example of cooperation, from the report. Lebanon: response to the Syrian crisis: The EU was among the first to respond to the consequences of the Syrian conflict on Lebanon and remains a key donor in the areas of support to Lebanese institutions and communities, as well as education. With the current funding, the EU supports four key ministries involved in the response (Social Affairs, Education, Interior and Health), finances 75 support projects in host communities, and in the area of education, EU support will reach more than 230,000 children with educational activities, in addition to 6,000 teachers and 10,000 parents as well as rehabilitation activities in 50 schools. In addition, significant efforts to upgrade local infrastructure in areas particularly affected by the influx of refugees are about to start, leaving lasting improvements for the benefiting communities long after the crisis. The EuropeAid report outlines the achievements of the partnership between the EU and the Neighbourhood in the past 7 years. It covers the general aspects of support to the Neighbourhood partnership, refers to the regional effort, includes a country-by-country breakdown and offers many examples of activities undertaken on the ground. Find out more: enpi-info.eu/mainmed.php?id_type=1&id=38854&lang_id=450 enpi-info.eu/medportal/news/latest/38588/ENPI-2007-2013:-an-instrument-for-the-Neighbourhood-%E2%80%93-new-report-outlines-seven-years-of-activities-and-results
Posted on: Fri, 24 Oct 2014 07:52:12 +0000
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