EU announces €8 million for post-conflict stability in Lebanon
The European Union has announced 8 million Euro to support stability, security and peace in Lebanon, following 13 months of conflict.
The project will be implemented by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
"The devastating conflict has led to too many civilian casualties. It has caused massive destruction and displacement. It has put a strain on already fragile public institutions, limiting their ability to deliver essential services to the people. Security institutions continue to face many challenges in maintaining stability amid ongoing tensions," the EU Delegation to Lebanon said in a statement.
The European Union, in partnership with UNDP and UNODC, is assisting communities affected by conflict and facilitating their return to safe and stable areas. The project will strengthen local initiatives for conflict prevention and peacebuilding. It will enhance the capacity of the Internal Security Forces (ISF) in their delivery of security services. Additionally, the project will support the Lebanon Mine Action Center (LMAC) in managing unexploded ordnance in conflict-affected areas.
The contract was signed at the Internal Security Forces headquarters in Beirut, in the presence of ISF Director General Major General Raed Abdallah, Peter Wagner, Director of the EU Service for Foreign Policy Instruments, Sandra De Waele, Ambassador of the European Union to Lebanon, and Blerta Aliko, UNDP Resident Representative in Lebanon.
Director of the EU Service for Foreign Policy Instruments, Peter Wagner, said: "The ISF plays a critical role in maintaining public order and safeguarding communities. The European Union's crisis response is aimed at bolstering the Internal Security Forces' capacity at a critical time. At the same time, the work of the Lebanon Mine Action Center to clear landmines and explosive remnants of war remains vital, not only to protect lives, but to enable recovery, development and safe return of displaced families."
EU Ambassador to Lebanon, Sandra De Waele, said: "The European Union is proud to continue supporting the vital and essential work of the Internal Security Forces and Lebanon Mine Action Center. This new program reflects our ongoing commitment to Lebanon and its security institutions in promoting peace and stability across the country, at this critical time."
UNDP Resident Representative in Lebanon, Blerta Aliko, said, "Lebanon stands at a pivotal moment of recovery. As families return home and communities rebuild, this initiative provides a vital opportunity to strengthen stability and security. By investing in conflict prevention, security services, and explosive ordnance clearance, we are not just addressing immediate risks—we are laying the groundwork for long-term peace and development."
The UNODC Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa said: "UNODC remains committed to supporting Lebanon's efforts to enhance prison conditions and promote the dignity and well-being of all prisoners. Drawing on over two decades of collaboration with national authorities and our expertise in criminal justice and prison reform, this project will contribute to reducing tensions, while enhancing rehabilitation and social reintegration, at a time when it is most critically needed."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
L'Orient-Le Jour
2 days ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Anti-drone system propels Greek plans for home-grown defence industry
It took just minutes for a new Greek-made anti-drone system to show what it is capable of. On its first test run with a European Union patrol in the Red Sea a year ago, the Centauros system detected and swiftly brought down two aerial drones launched by Yemen's Houthis, who have been attacking merchant vessels in the busy shipping lane. Another two drones swiftly retreated: Centauros had jammed their electronics, said Kyriakos Enotiadis, electronics director at state-run Hellenic Aerospace Industry (HAI), which produces the anti-drone system. The successful test run added impetus to Greek government plans to develop a home-grown industry to mass produce anti-drone and drone systems - part of a 30-billion-euro programme aimed at modernising the country's armed forces by 2036. Named after the mythological half-man, half-horse creature, Centauros can detect drones from a distance of 150 km (93 miles) and fire from 25 km (15.5 miles). Greece plans to install it throughout its naval fleet. "It's the only battle-proven anti-drone system [made] in Europe," Enotiadis said, as dozens of employees worked nearby, assembling electronic components of anti-aircraft missiles. Up until now, Greece has been using only a few dozen ISR - intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance - unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), most of them made abroad, including in France and Israel. As the multibillion-euro defence programme is rolled out, it will incorporate Greek-made anti-drone and combat drone systems into the armed forces, including its planned anti-aircraft ballistic dome, called Achilles Shield Historic Rivalry Greece's neighbour, NATO-ally and historic rival Turkey is a prolific drone exporter. Greece spends nearly 3.5 percent of gross domestic product on defense due to the long-standing dispute with Turkey, with the domestic defence industry accounting for only a fraction of that. In the coming decade, it plans to invest some 800 million euros ($925 million) in defence innovation, said Pantelis Tzortzakis, CEO of the newly founded Hellenic Centre for Defense Innovation (HCDI), which is supervised by the Defense Ministry. "Our target is to export as much as we spend on defence annually," Tzortzakis said. Altus, one of a few Greek private companies that manufacture combat drones, in cooperation with France's MBDA, has produced Kerveros - a vertical take-off and landing UAV with a payload of more than 30 kg (66 pounds) that includes advanced anti-tank missiles. "I'm very optimistic about the Greek drone industry," said Zacharias Sarris, co-owner of Altus, which already exports ISR drones to five countries. "Greece has a great need for this technology," he added, referring to the country's complex geopolitical position. In the meantime, HAI is aiming high. In 2026, it will start mass-producing two more portable anti-drone systems called Iperion and Telemachus, designed to protect troops from drone swarms and lethal mini drones. It will also present its first big unmanned aerial vehicle, Archytas, named after the ancient Greek inventor said to have produced the first autonomous flying machine in about 400 BC. "We are striving for this UAV to be the best of its kind," said Nikos Koklas, the company's director of new products. ($1 = 0.8643 euros)
LBCI
2 days ago
- LBCI
EU to suspend US tariff countermeasures for 6 months
The European Union will suspend its two packages of countermeasures to U.S. tariffs for six months following a deal with U.S. President Donald Trump, a Commission spokesperson said on Monday. The EU-U.S. agreement leaves many questions open, including tariff rates on spirits, and Trump's executive order last week setting tariffs on most EU goods at 15% did not include carve-outs such as for cars and car parts. "The EU continues to work with the U.S. to finalise a Joint Statement, as agreed on 27 July," the spokesperson said in a statement. "With these objectives in mind, the Commission will take the necessary steps to suspend by 6 months the EU's countermeasures against the US, which were due to enter into force on 7 August." The retaliatory tariffs are in two parts: one in response to U.S. steel and aluminium duties, and the other to Trump's baseline and car tariffs. Reuters
Nahar Net
2 days ago
- Nahar Net
EU says ending impunity essential for Lebanon's recovery
by Naharnet Newsdesk 04 August 2025, 13:21 On the fifth anniversary of the devastating explosion at the Port of Beirut on 4 August 2020, the European Union and its Member States have reiterated their solidarity with the families of the victims and with those whose lives, homes, and livelihoods were tragically impacted by the explosion. 'We welcome the steps taken in recent months that have enabled progress in the investigation, in line with the Cabinet's ministerial statement. We call upon the relevant authorities to make sure the conditions are in place so the investigation can be concluded in a thorough, impartial, and transparent way, so the families of the victims and the Lebanese people may receive the justice and accountability they deserve,' the EU and its Member States said in a statement. 'Ending impunity is essential for Lebanon's recovery, and this requires an independent and empowered judiciary free from political interference. We hope that the Law on the Independence of the Judiciary that has just been adopted, will achieve that objective,' they added. The European Union and its Member States also affirmed that they 'continue to stand by Lebanon and its people and to support its stability, sovereignty, and quest for peace and development.'
