Lebanon, EU resume partnership talks after eight-year hiatus

Lebanon and the European Union on Monday resumed meetings of their partnership council for the first time in eight years, as Lebanese officials sought to reassure European counterparts of the government's commitment to restoring state authority, implementing reforms, and advancing economic cooperation.

The meeting was held in Brussels with the participation of Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, and European Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Šuica.

Rajji said Lebanon had entered a "decisive phase" in restoring state authority in 2025, pointing to what he described as a landmark government decision adopted on August 5 to restrict the possession of weapons exclusively to the state and its legitimate security institutions.

He said the decision marked a turning point by returning the authority over war and peace to Lebanon's constitutional institutions, ending the presence of all non-state armed groups, including Hezbollah and Palestinian factions, and extending state sovereignty over all Lebanese territory. Rajji said the move was in line with the Taif Agreement and U.N. Security Council resolutions 1559 and 1701.

The foreign minister said the Lebanese Army was implementing the decision in response to the will of the overwhelming majority of Lebanese who reject the concept of a "state within a state," beginning south of the Litani River. He added that the first phase of implementation is expected to be completed by the end of this year, with full implementation across the country by the end of 2026.

Rajji thanked the European Union for its technical support in managing Lebanon's border with Syria and expressed Beirut's desire to deepen that cooperation. He also stressed the importance of launching forward-looking discussions on the security situation in South Lebanon after 2026, in light of the U.N. Security Council's decision on the mandate of the U.N. peacekeeping force, UNIFIL. He welcomed EU consideration of a greater role within the bloc's standard security and defense policy.

On economic cooperation, Rajji said Lebanon is seeking to increase EU imports of Lebanese agricultural and industrial products. He reiterated the government's commitment to a reform agenda and to reaching an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), describing both as essential to stabilizing the country's economy and restoring growth.