The European Union’s (EU’s) Arabic Spokesperson for the Middle East and North Africa, Luis Miguel Bueno, said that free, fair, inclusive and credible elections must be held in Libya.
“We have mobilized resources to support the Electoral Commission, and Libya has a clear opportunity to build a stable and prosperous future,” Bueno said in a press statement.
He added that, “we are ready to provide the necessary support to the country at this critical juncture. Dialogue between all actors in Libya must be strengthened to build a roadmap that leads to elections in the near future.”
“The EU is clear in its support for the efforts made to achieve the withdrawal of all foreign mercenaries, fighters and other foreign forces from Libya,” the Spokesperson said.
He pointed out that “the Paris conference on Libya showed that there is a clear agreement on this issue.”
“We need a concrete implementation of the action plan approved by the 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC) on the withdrawal of mercenaries and foreign forces,” Bueno explained.
On Wednesday, Henrike Trautmann, an Official at the EU’s Directorate for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Policies said that the EU hopes to deliver more vessels to the Libyan Coast Guard before the summer. This is when irregular sea crossings are expected to increase.
In press statements, Trautmann added that they would be delivering three new search-and-rescue vessels, and two refurbished patrol boats to Libya starting in the first half of 2022.
“Libyan Coast Guard Officials will visit Italy at the end of the month to test out the new boats ahead of their delivery,” she said.
“From 2014 to 2020 the EU has spent more than €500 million ($565 million) on programs in Libya, mainly related to migration and border management,” Trautmann said.
She told European Parliament lawmakers that Libya’s capacity to stop migrants and refugees from reaching Europe or from drowning at sea “remains stretched” even if it has improved over the past year due to EU support.