EU Ambassador to Lebanon emphasizes urgent reforms needed amidst multiple crises

In a speech, H.E. Ralph Tarraf, Ambassador of the European Union to Lebanon, stated that Europe Day 2023 comes at challenging times for Europe, which is facing the Russian war on Ukraine, shaking the foundations which peace was built after two World Wars, and Lebanon, with its many crises.

According to the speech, Lebanon faces socioeconomic and financial crises driving many Lebanese into poverty or exile amid the inability to implement reforms, as well as a political vacuum that is now in its seventh month.

Tarraf affirmed that the focus had been mainly on three fronts, including restoring the country's capacity to implement both political and administrative decisions. 

"There is a common understanding that this requires at least the election of a President, the establishment of a fully empowered Government, and agreements regarding the nominations of other high-ranking officials [...] also the need to remunerate properly the Civil Service, including the Security Forces, to ensure its functioning and stop the brain drain," said Tarraf.

Second, the Ambassador of the European Union to Lebanon stated that the country needs to find an answer to the "economic crunch," as reforms could bring much-needed liquidity into the economy and reconstruct the country's "dysfunctional banking system."

"Implementing the measures agreed with the International Monetary Fund more than a year ago would open the way for a program of economic recovery, assisted by the IMF and the international community, Europe included," he affirmed.

He highlighted that economic and fiscal reforms, macroeconomic guidance, and governance-related reforms must go hand in hand, as "Lebanon's friends, the European Union and its Member States included, continue to stand ready to support Lebanon on this path."

Third, the Lebanese people need to understand how to deal with the presence of many Syrian refugees in the country.

He stated that decision-makers in Lebanon and Europe need to find a balance between the concerns of citizens and humanity, saying that the focus of public debate in Lebanon recently described problems that come with the Syrian refugee population. 

"This is certainly understandable, given the very large number of refugees in Lebanon. But I believe it is time that decision-makers focus on what can be done and implemented, in concrete and specific terms, to address the challenges at hand. The safety, dignity, security, and well-being of all people in Lebanon are at stake here," he confirmed.

During the occasion, H.E. Ralph Tarraf revealed that the European Union remains ready to commit to a constructive dialogue on all issues within limits imposed by the respect for Lebanon's sovereignty. 

Affirming: "It is up to the Lebanese to decide on their destiny, and not to us to impose solutions from outside."