LIBE MEPs in Lebanon: funding alone not enough, better resettlement tools needed

23 Sep 2016 01:12 PM

With around 1,5 million refugees fleeing to Lebanon since the beginning of the war in Syria, it is clear that the situation in the country is untenable and that substantial help is needed to avoid a complete breakdown, not only in terms of financial assistance, but also through improved resettlement tools, says Civil Liberties Committee Chair Claude Moraes who this week heads a delegation to Beirut.

Lebanon is currently the country in the world with the highest number of refugees per capita,  around one in four living on its territory is a refugee. Against this backdrop, a 7 MEP strong delegation from the Civil Liberties Committee this week visited Lebanon to look into the situation for refugees on the ground.

"It is clear that Lebanon is reaching a saturation point", says Claude Moraes (S&D, UK). Vital infrastructure all over the country such as education and sanitation is heavily affected by the influx of the refugees which means that this is not just a refugee crisis, but a crisis that affects the country overall and which could rapidly aggravate. Lebanon has by far surpassed the efforts of the rest of the EU in its response to the crisis and has coped remarkably well under very difficult circumstances. Humanitarian aid from the EU and others is highly needed to alleviate the unprecedented pressure the country is experiencing".

"The poverty among the Syrian refugees is alarming and efficient policies on education and health care are more needed than ever", the chair says on the experience of the delegation. "People are living under appalling conditions, in overcrowded apartments shared by several families in order to afford the rent or even in basement parkings, with no water, toilet or electricity. The issue of a 200$ fee on residents permits has been mentioned as a reason for  many to be staying illegally in the country which might make them vulnerable to exploitation in the labour market and elsewhere".

"Conditions are also difficult for the Palestinians who experience restrictions on access to employment which makes them dependent on services from UN's agency for Palestinian Refugees, UNRWA ", he continues.

"The situation cannot be solved by humanitarian aid alone, it calls for political solutions to put an end to the ongoing conflict and consequently take some of the pressure of the country. However, we do not consider returning the Syrians to safe zones within Syria safe at this point, and we are very concerned that lives could be lost if it were to happen", the Chair explains.

"We need member states to urgently uphold their humanitarian responsibilities and we need to ensure a better, more even distribution among the EU countries. In the coming months, the Civil Liberties Committee will take on the task of ensuring a better functioning resettlement system to coordinate and step up efforts of the EU in this field. There is an urgent need for the EU to adopt legislative tools that actually work and can contribute to alleviate the demographic pressure on countries such as Lebanon and prevent further destabilisation in the region", Claude Moraes ends.

Background

The 7 members of the Civil Liberties Committee visited Lebanon from 19-22 September to look into the situation for refugees on the ground, both for the estimated 1,5 mill Syrians that have arrived to Lebanon since the beginning of the war in Syria, as well as the around 300.000-400.000 Palestinians that have been in the country for decades. The findings of the mission will feed into the ongoing work of the committee, in particular on a new EU resettlement framework (legislative proposal presented by the European Commission on 13. July), on relocation as well as the overall overhaul of EU asylum policies, including the Dublin rules.