EU to Cooperate with Egypt to Limit Illegal Migration from Libya

The European Union, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the French CIVIPOL agreed on a package of measures to enhance cooperation between the EU and Egypt to address illegal migration. (EU mission in Egypt)
The European Union, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the French CIVIPOL agreed on a package of measures to enhance cooperation between the EU and Egypt to address illegal migration. (EU mission in Egypt)
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EU to Cooperate with Egypt to Limit Illegal Migration from Libya

The European Union, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the French CIVIPOL agreed on a package of measures to enhance cooperation between the EU and Egypt to address illegal migration. (EU mission in Egypt)
The European Union, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the French CIVIPOL agreed on a package of measures to enhance cooperation between the EU and Egypt to address illegal migration. (EU mission in Egypt)

The European Union, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the French CIVIPOL agreed on a package of measures to enhance cooperation between the EU and Egypt to address illegal migration.

The EU signed an agreement with Egypt on Sunday for the first phase of an 80-million-euro border management program, a statement from the EU delegation in Cairo said, at a time when Egyptian migration to Europe has been rising.

The project aims to help Egypt's coast and border guards reduce irregular migration and human trafficking along its border, and provides for the procurement of surveillance equipment, such as search and rescue vessels, thermal cameras, and satellite positioning systems, according to an EU Commission document published this month.

Since late 2016, irregular migration to Europe from the Egypt's northern coast has slowed sharply.

However, migration of Egyptians across Egypt's long desert border with Libya and from Libya's Mediterranean coast to Europe has been on the rise, diplomats told Reuters.

From Jan. 1 to Oct. 28 2022, 16,413 migrants arriving by boat in Italy declared themselves to be Egyptian, making them the second largest group behind Tunisians, according to data published by Italy's interior ministry.

Egypt is likely to experience “intensified flows” of migrants in the medium to long term due to regional instability, climate change, demographic shifts and lack of economic opportunities, according to the EU Commission document published by Reuters.

The agreement for the first 23-million-euro phase of the project was signed during a visit to Cairo by the EU's commissioner for neighborhood and enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi.

It will be implemented by the IOM and CIVIPOL, a French interior ministry agency, and is expected to include the provision of four search and rescue vessels, Laurent de Boeck, head of IOM's Egypt office, said.

The document says that to date, Egypt has addressed irregular migration “predominantly from a security perspective, sometimes at the expense of other dimensions of migration management, including the rights-based protection migrants, refugees and asylum seekers.”

Cairo has always stressed its commitment to provide full protection to asylum seekers and refugees without compromising their freedoms.

The program will seek to develop the capacity of the Egyptian ministry of defense and other government and civil society stakeholders to apply “rights-based, protection oriented and gender sensitive approaches” in their border management, it said.



Israel-Iran War Accelerates Departure of Tourists from Lebanon

A billboard on the road to Beirut International Airport promoting tourism in Lebanon (AP).  
A billboard on the road to Beirut International Airport promoting tourism in Lebanon (AP).  
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Israel-Iran War Accelerates Departure of Tourists from Lebanon

A billboard on the road to Beirut International Airport promoting tourism in Lebanon (AP).  
A billboard on the road to Beirut International Airport promoting tourism in Lebanon (AP).  

The outbreak of war between Iran and Israel has turned the hopes of Lebanese for a promising tourism season after thousands of tourists decided to cut short their vacation and return home.

A large number of Arab and foreign tourists were seen at the departure gate at Rafik Hariri International Airport. They fear security developments would lead to a sudden halt of flights, especially after the United States joined the conflict and launched directed strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities last Saturday.

“After most airlines suspended their flights to Lebanon, thousands of passengers rebooked with the Middle East Airlines to be able to leave Lebanon,” a security source told Asharq Al-Awsat on Monday.

The source said tourists are cutting short their stay as fears grow of a wider conflict in the Middle East.

While officials expected that 120 flights would land daily at the airport in Beirut during the summer season, a source at the airport said, “most airlines have cancelled flights to Beirut due to high security concerns”.

In addition to Lebanese flag carrier, Middle East Airlines (MEA), the source said only five other companies are still operating from Beirut’s airport: Emirates, Fly Dubai, Turkish Airlines, Cyprus Airways and Qatar Airways.

The mass cancellation of flights has mainly affected the tourist season in Lebanon, such as hotels, restaurants and other establishments.

“The tourist season in Lebanon is affected. Thousands of hotel reservations were cancelled as Arab and Gulf nationals hesitate to visit the country due to the ongoing war,” Chairman of the Lebanese Economic Organizations and former Minister Mohammed Choucair told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Choucair said “the promising summer season is much more pessimistic. Things could only change if the war stops in a few days.”

He said most airlines that had planned additional flights to Beirut for the upcoming season have now totally suspended their flights.

Also, the war affected tourism companies, which saw a lower demand on tickets and hotel reservations.

Aimee Achkar, general manager at Tania Travel said the war “has dealt a strong blow to the tourist season in Lebanon. Thousands of reservations were cancelled while Arab and foreign tourists are cutting their holiday short.”

Achkar told Asharq Al-Awsat that in the first quarter of June, incoming flights to Beirut airport dropped from 85 flights a day to between 30 and 35 flights, mostly operated by MEA.

In the tourism sector, hotels have suffered the most.

“The occupancy rate in hotels before June 13 ranged between 80 and 90%. After the outbreak of war, it fell to below 30%,” Achkar said.

She explained that according to pre-bookings, the airport was projected to welcome about 125 flights per day during July and August, while the hotel occupancy rate was about 95%.

Also, President of Lebanese Hotel Association, Pierre Achkar said last week the war between Iran and Israel is already casting a shadow over Lebanon’s tourism sector.
In a statement, Achkar said the closure of regional airspace and the cancellation of incoming flights have begun to take a toll, adding that the aviation sector is facing growing disruption and chaos.

But in return, Lebanese expatriates have not cancelled their tickets back home. They are still holding out hope for an improvement in the situation in the coming weeks.

On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump said that a ceasefire between Israel and Iran has been reached.

A MEA official said flights to Lebanon are fully booked by Lebanese expatriates.

“All flights approved by MEA and foreign airlines are still on their previously scheduled dates,” he said.