EU-Lebanon migration deal sparks fury over alleged pushbacks, KNEWS

A recent EU-Lebanon deal has come under scrutiny from NGOs and MEPs, who denounce its “brutal border control” measures aimed at facilitating the “voluntary return” of Syrian refugees to disputed territories. “safe zones” in Syria, according to a report by Pavlos Xanthoulis in today's print edition of Kathimerini.

The Euromed Rights network, which represents 68 humanitarian organizations in 30 countries, criticized European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Cypriot President Christodoulides for approving the deal. Left-wing MPs and Greens called it a “dirty deal,” accusing von der Leyen of negotiating migration pacts with authoritarian regimes without transparency.

Left-wing MEP Cornelia Ernst condemned the deal as “one of many dirty and hidden deals against humanity and international law”, a sentiment echoed by Green MEP Damien Careme. Concerns are heightened by the fact that nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is expected to lead the EU Council later this year.

Euromed Rights highlighted the “hostile” actions of the Cypriot authorities towards Syrian migrants trying to leave Lebanon for Cyprus. Reports claim the migrants were stranded at sea for days without food or water before being forcibly returned to Lebanon. Additionally, President Christodoulides' decision on April 13 to close the asylum system for Syrian nationals due to increased arrivals sparked controversy.

Foreign Minister Constantinos Ioannou declined to comment on allegations of “pushbacks” by Cypriot authorities. However, Nicosia appears to have curbed migration flows from Lebanon amid these rumors.

Wadih Al-Asmar, president of the Euromed Rights network and the Lebanese Center for Human Rights, criticized the billion-euro aid plan announced by von der Leyen for Lebanon from 2024 to 2027, calling it of a “smokescreen for the European elections”. Al-Asmar says the funds only extend previous levels of support and do not address Lebanon's current economic challenges or the refugee crisis.

Al-Asmar's calculations, supported by European Commission data, indicate that direct financial support to Lebanon since 2011 amounts to 1 billion euros every four years. This suggests that the announced aid does not reflect the deteriorating conditions in Lebanon, which hosts around 3 million Syrian refugees.

Before von der Leyen's trip to Lebanon, larger financial support packages had been considered, but ultimately the Commission opted for the more modest one billion euro package due to concerns over the corruption in Lebanon and the influence of Hezbollah, listed as a terrorist organization by the EU.