The European Union (EU) agreed to send a new diplomatic mission to Libya after eastern Libyan forces expelled a high-ranking EU delegation from Benghazi last week.
The announcement was made in Rome on the sidelines of the Ukraine Recovery Conference. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela jointly confirmed that the EU would reactivate the “Team Europe” initiative. The new delegation will include senior EU officials as well as ministers from Greece, Italy, and Malta.
Team Europe brings together EU member states, the European Investment Bank, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, aiming to coordinate joint strategies in complex and politically sensitive environments.
The decision follows a diplomatic incident that unfolded last week when the original EU delegation was told to leave immediately after landing at Benghazi airport.
According to Euronews, sources close to the delegation believe the incident was part of a calculated move by General Khalifa Haftar to force implicit European recognition of the eastern-based government appointed by the House of Representatives.
The expelled group included European Commissioner for Home Affairs Magnus Brunner, Italy’s Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, Malta’s Interior Minister Byron Camilleri, Greek Migration Minister Athanasios Plevris, and EU Ambassador to Libya Nicola Orlando. The delegation had earlier held talks in Tripoli with the Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbaiba’s government.
The failed visit has added tension to EU-Libya relations at a time when irregular migration is rising sharply. Greece, facing overcrowded reception centers on Crete, temporarily suspended asylum requests last week for migrants arriving by sea from North Africa.
Over 500 people were moved to mainland Greece last Thursday after being intercepted south of Crete. Greek authorities report daily arrivals of up to 500 migrants, mainly from Somalia, Sudan, Egypt, and Morocco.
