EU extends migration cooperation to eastern Libya
Brussels is allocating €25 million for border management, rescue operations and tackling people smuggling, according to Reuters.
Listen to this article
There is no audio version yet. Request one and an AI voice will read the article aloud.
Read by an AI voice.
The European Union has extended migration cooperation to eastern Libya, the area where Khalifa Haftar exercises power. According to Reuters, this involves an additional €25 million, while the EU officially recognises only the government in Tripoli.
The new funding is set out in a letter from Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to EU leaders, which Reuters reported on Tuesday. The money is intended for border management, search-and-rescue operations and combating people smuggling in eastern Libya.
This means Brussels is working more explicitly with authorities that do not fall under the internationally recognised government in Tripoli. The east of the country is controlled by the armed forces and political power structures surrounding Khalifa Haftar. The EU still formally recognises only the government in Tripoli as its Libyan counterpart.
The move fits into a broader European effort to limit irregular migration across the Mediterranean. According to Reuters, more migrants depart from areas under Haftar’s control. In July, the EU had already announced plans to establish a maritime coordination centre for rescue operations in Benghazi, the main city in eastern Libya.
The European Commission says its cooperation with Libya also includes migrant protection, voluntary return and evacuation. On its country page, the Commission lists approximately €220 million in migration programmes for Libya between 2021 and 2024. That broader amount covers multiple years and is not the same as the additional €25 million now reported.
The cooperation is politically sensitive because Libya is an important departure point for people attempting to reach Europe. At the same time, the country is divided, and there have been reports for years of abuses in the reception and interception of migrants. The new funding could increase European influence, but according to critics it also makes Brussels more dependent on power holders whom the EU does not formally recognise.
For the Netherlands, the main significance is that the EU is thereby setting a precedent for cooperation with de facto power holders outside the formal government structure. The precise conditions, oversight mechanisms and distribution of the new amount have not yet been fully set out in the public information. It is also not yet clear how the EU will prevent border management from coming at the expense of access to protection.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- According to Reuters, the EU intends to allocate an additional €25 million to migration cooperation in eastern Libya.
- Eastern Libya is under the influence of Khalifa Haftar.
- The EU formally recognises the government in Tripoli as its Libyan counterpart.
- The precise conditions and oversight structure of the new funding have not yet been fully made public.
Left
Arguments Europe must not outsource border control to a power bloc that lacks broad democratic legitimacy. Protection, transparency and access to asylum must be guaranteed first; otherwise, the EU is buying fewer arrivals at greater risk to people along the way.
Values Human rights, international responsibility and democratic oversight.
Consequences A deal without strong safeguards could displace abuses rather than resolve them and could make the EU jointly responsible for violations.
Centre
Arguments The EU must work with the parties that have actual influence, but only within clear agreements, auditable funding and cooperation with international organisations. Migration management and protection must be organised in parallel.
Values Pragmatism, the rule of law and institutional oversight.
Consequences Controlled cooperation could limit departures from Libya, but remains vulnerable as long as the country is politically divided.
Right
Arguments The EU must guard its external borders more effectively and therefore also be able to work with difficult partners. Reducing people smuggling and irregular crossings requires resources at the point where the routes begin.
Values Order, national control and limiting irregular migration.
Consequences Faster and tougher cooperation could reduce arrivals, but European dependence on Haftar could weaken its negotiating position and security in the longer term.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The article’s core is based on a Reuters report and official EU information about broader cooperation with Libya. The exact conditions of the new funding have not yet been fully set out publicly.
- confirmed According to Reuters, the EU has made an additional €25 million available for cooperation with eastern Libya. — Reuters bases this on a letter from Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to EU leaders. source
- confirmed The money is intended for border management, search-and-rescue operations and combating people smuggling. — These objectives are mentioned in the Reuters report. source
- confirmed The EU formally recognises only the government in Tripoli. — Reuters describes this formal position in its report on the new funding. source
- confirmed The European Commission reports approximately €220 million in migration programmes for Libya between 2021 and 2024. — This amount appears on the Commission’s official country page. source
Editor's note
The additional €25 million was reported by Reuters on the basis of a letter from the Commission. The European Commission confirms the broader cooperation and earlier funding, but has not yet published a separate decision on this specific new tranche.Sources
- EU expands migration cooperation with eastern Libya through new funding — Reuters via MarketScreener
- Libya – EU cooperation and migration support — Europese Commissie
- EU migration and asylum policy — Raad van de Europese Unie
More on this in Dutch media
- RTL Nieuws — „migratie libië”
- NOS — „migratie libië”
- Het Parool — „migratie libië”