European engagement with Libyan authorities on migration has continued over the last two weeks, with technical talks held in Brussels.
On 2 July, the 9th round of the EU-Libya Technical Dialogue on Rights-based Migration and Border Management concluded in Brussels, bringing together representatives of key institutions from Tripoli and Benghazi, alongside EUBAM Libya, EUNAVFOR’s Operation Irini, European border agency Frontex and others. EU Ambassador Nicola Orlando said they discussed how to jointly translate shared priorities into concrete cooperation to:
• Strengthen land border management and security
• Enhance search and rescue capacities to save lives at sea and in the desert, including through the new Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Benghazi
• Expand dialogue and operational cooperation to disrupt transnational human smuggling and trafficking networks
• Support voluntary humanitarian returns, including through effective Libyan cooperation with embassies of countries of origin
• Advance the humanitarian protection of migrants and refugees
On 8 July, Orlando met with the Commander of the (western) Libyan Coast Guard, Major General Reda Issa, in Tripoli. He stressed that Libya is a crucial partner in ‘the EU’s comprehensive effort towards effective, rights-based maritime governance in the Mediterranean’. He added that the EU is proud to support the continued development of the Coast Guard’s operational capabilities as it fulfils its sovereign responsibility for search and rescue operations and the protection of lives at sea.
Orlando also discussed migration in meetings with political figures, including Presidential Council (PC) Deputy Musa al-Koni and Government of National Unity (GNU) Foreign Minister Taher al-Baour, as well as the wider political process. He briefed the Libyan actors on the ‘promising outcomes of the latest EU-Libya technical dialogue on rights-based migration and border management in Brussels, reaffirming the European Union’s commitment to deepening tangible support to Libyan authorities across the country.’