On the last day of September, the European Council prolonged restrictive measures against Libya for an additional half a year targeting three individuals – Agila Saleh, President of the Libyan Council of Deputies in the House of Representatives; Khalifa Ghweil, Prime Minister and Defense Minister of the internationally unrecognized General National Congress; and Nuri Abu Sahmain, President of the internationally unrecognized General National Congress. These three persons are considered as obstructing the implementation of the Libyan Political Agreement of 17 December 2015 and the formation of a Government of National Accord in Libya.
Libya is one of the 16 European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) partner countries, though negotiations on a comprehensive bilateral Framework Agreement have been stalled. Therefore, Libya is not currently participating within the structures of the ENP but it is instead taking part in the Barcelona Process, the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, as an observer. The EU remains concerned about the situation in Libya, mainly security and stability in the country. Brussels also condemns all the actions that impede or undermine the successful completion of Libya’s political transition.
The EU, together with other major payers of the international community, signed a joined communiqué at the end of September in support of the leadership and the decision of the Presidency Council (PC) to liberate Sirte from Da’esh and secure the country from other terrorist groups. The signatories also reaffirmed their solidarity with the Libyan people and expressed sympathy for those who lost their lives in the fight against terrorism and welcomed the efforts against terrorist groups as listed by the UN in other parts of Libya, including Benghazi, and commit to collectively pursue those efforts.
