EU Ambassador Meets Aoun, Urges 'Credible Reforms'

European Union Ambassador to Lebanon Ralph Tarraf held talks Friday in Baabda with President Michel Aoun.

In a tweet after the meeting, Tarraf said “addressing the socio-economic crisis in Lebanon is urgent.”

“Reaching an agreement with the IMF (International Monetary Fund) and rebuilding trust in the State through credible reforms remain the top priorities,” he added.

Talks with the IMF have been bogged down in internal political disputes and struggles over who is to blame for banking losses.

Lebanon's economic and financial crisis is rooted in years of mismanagement and corruption. It has deepened since the government defaulted on its sovereign debt in March, the eruption of the coronavirus pandemic and the restrictions that it brought.

Lebanon witnessed nationwide protests last October after the government, as part of efforts to introduce austerity measures, levied new taxes on messaging service WhatsApp. Protesters accused the government of mismanagement and years of corruption and eventually forced then-premier, Saad Hariri, to resign.

A new government, backed by the powerful Hizbullah and its allies was formed in January and has since been bogged down by domestic rivalries on ways to proceed with reforms and the IMF talks.