The European Union has signed an additional €25 million ($29 million) in funding to expand migration cooperation into eastern Libya, according to a letter from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to EU leaders seen by Reuters.
– The funding will support border management, search-and-rescue and anti-smuggling activities in eastern Libya. It is a further sign of deepening 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 split between rival western and eastern administrations, has been a major transit route for migrants attempting the dangerous sea crossing to Europe since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi.
– The EU and its member states have long supported and trained the Libyan coastguard, which intercepts migrants at sea. While the EU formally recognises only the Tripoli-based government, it has stepped up contacts with authorities in eastern Libya since last year as migrant departures from areas controlled by Haftar in eastern Libya have risen.
– The move follows the July announcement by the EU that it would establish a Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, further expanding cooperation with authorities in the east.
– “Libya remains the top country of departure for illegal crossings to the EU,” von der Leyen wrote, describing an upcoming EU-Libya meeting as a way to keep cooperation going.
– She said the EU and the International Organization for Migration were supporting voluntary returns from Libya to 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.