The 14th European Parliament-Lebanon inter-parliamentary meeting (IPM) and working visit to Lebanon took place on 2-3 November 2021.
Four MEPs, including DMAS Chair Isabel Santos, participated. The delegation met with the highest level of representation of the Lebanese government and the National Assembly: President of the Republic Michel Aoun, Speaker of the National Assembly Nabih Berry, Deputy Prime Minister Saadeh El Chami, Minister of Interior and Municipalities Bassam Mawlawi, Chair of the Lebanon-EU Parliamentary Friendship Group Yassine Jaber (Amal) and eight other MPs, President of the Supervisory Committee for Elections Judge Nadim Abdul Malak, members of the Supervisory Committee for Elections. The programme also included meetings with NGOs working with Syrian refugees in Lebanon, civil society representatives and EU Visitor Programme (EUVP) alumni, families of the victims of the Beirut Port blast, EU Heads of Mission in Beirut, and social entrepreneurs funded by the EU. The delegation also took advantage of the presence of EU Delegation to Syria staff in Beirut to meet on the EU policy towards Syria, mainly in field of humanitarian support.
The key messages delivered by the DMAS delegation during the mission were the need to maintain elections as planned, the need to fully fund and staff the Supervisory Committee on Elections, the importance of the independence of the judiciary, and the need to progress with IMF negotiations and reforms as quickly as possible. The Members also consistently engaged their interlocutors on the continued suitability of the confessional system, on the problem of corruption, and on how to achieve greater female participation in political life.
Four MEPs, including DMAS Chair Isabel Santos, participated. The delegation met with the highest level of representation of the Lebanese government and the National Assembly: President of the Republic Michel Aoun, Speaker of the National Assembly Nabih Berry, Deputy Prime Minister Saadeh El Chami, Minister of Interior and Municipalities Bassam Mawlawi, Chair of the Lebanon-EU Parliamentary Friendship Group Yassine Jaber (Amal) and eight other MPs, President of the Supervisory Committee for Elections Judge Nadim Abdul Malak, members of the Supervisory Committee for Elections. The programme also included meetings with NGOs working with Syrian refugees in Lebanon, civil society representatives and EU Visitor Programme (EUVP) alumni, families of the victims of the Beirut Port blast, EU Heads of Mission in Beirut, and social entrepreneurs funded by the EU. The delegation also took advantage of the presence of EU Delegation to Syria staff in Beirut to meet on the EU policy towards Syria, mainly in field of humanitarian support.
The key messages delivered by the DMAS delegation during the mission were the need to maintain elections as planned, the need to fully fund and staff the Supervisory Committee on Elections, the importance of the independence of the judiciary, and the need to progress with IMF negotiations and reforms as quickly as possible. The Members also consistently engaged their interlocutors on the continued suitability of the confessional system, on the problem of corruption, and on how to achieve greater female participation in political life.
Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP