What are the challenges that the new EU Special Envoy to Libya faces?

The High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, has appointed on Tuesday the Spanish José Antonio Sabadell as the new head of the EU delegation in Libya, replacing the Maltese Alan Bugeja. Sabadell is currently Director of Political Planning at the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, although he had previously worked as the EU Ambassador to Mauritania or as the Director of the North Africa Division or as the Head of the Civilian Component and Political Advisor for the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Badghis (Afghanistan). 

One of the EU's main objectives is to promote peace and its values. However, peace has become a mirage in Libya, a nation suffering the consequences of conflict since 2011, following the death of dictator Muammar al-Qadhafi. The distance between the EU and Turkey due to their presence in Libya or Syria or the future of the Irini operation are some of the challenges faced by José Antonio Sabadell after his appointment as EU delegate to the North African nation.

The EU has repeatedly tried to put an end to the military and political interference of foreign powers in the Libyan powder keg. The North African nation is the victim of a war of both political and religious legitimisation; a war that has taken the lives of thousands and thousands of people and that has attracted the attention of great powers such as Turkey and Russia because of its oil deposits. The authorities in the east led by General Jalifa Haftar control most of the country and since April 2019 have been trying to extend their power in the regions still in the hands of the Government of National Accord (GNA), presided over by Fayez Sarraj. 

Haftar is supported by Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Sudan, Russia and France; while the Tripoli government, backed by the Muslim Brotherhood and internationally recognized by the United Nations or Italy, receives military aid from Turkey and Qatar.  The EU now faces the challenge of finding a common position on the presence of countries such as Italy or France on the Libyan stage. Over the past few weeks France has moved closer to Russia, while Italy has aligned itself with Erdogan, while Greece warns that Turkey's behaviour could be a problem for the old continent. 

This scenario also involves a number of actors such as organized crime networks or armed militias. This situation is exacerbated by the porous borders and structural insecurity present in the region. All this has favoured the emergence of a war economy from which large sectors of the population, organised crime groups or terrorist networks benefit. Furthermore, in 2016 Libya became the main concentration point of people with the aim of migrating to Europe through the central Mediterranean route, fleeing from armed conflicts or humanitarian crises, and seeking asylum and refuge. 

Poverty and food insecurity, underdevelopment or corruption are some of the threats that have settled on Europe's doorstep (in what is known as the advanced European security border), putting the security of neighbouring countries at risk.  To these events we must add the multidimensional crises caused by terrorism and transnational organized crime. Therefore, the conflict currently plaguing Libya risks amplifying the fragilities and tensions present in this country and is a matter of vital importance for the EU and other neighbouring regions, which fear that these threats will be multiplied by the presence of foreign powers. 

On the other hand, migratory flows towards the European Union from countries in conflict (for example, from Libya to Greece) and the refugee crisis are two other causes that have alarmed neighbouring countries, provoking an increase in populisms and anti-establishment positions in European democratic systems. Support for far-right political parties has increased in the four most populous EU countries: Germany, the United Kingdom, France and Italy, as well as in member states with lower demographic weight such as Spain, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden and Switzerland.

The EU's common foreign and security policy, designed to resolve conflicts and promote international understanding, is based on diplomacy and respect for international rules. Its objectives include maintaining peace and strengthening international security, as well as cooperation between countries, which the EU has sought to do with the launch of Operation Irini. 

"Only political solutions and full respect for the UN arms embargo can resolve the Libyan crisis. But diplomacy cannot succeed if it is not backed by action. This operation will be essential and will be a clear contribution to the promotion of peace in our immediate neighbourhood through a permanent ceasefire," said the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy while presenting this initiative whose meaning in Greek is peace. The main objective of Operation Irini is to implement the arms embargo imposed by the United Nations through air, satellite and maritime resources. 

So far, Irini has intervened 130 times in front of ships suspected of transporting weapons to the North African nation. Borrell presented this information during a press conference after the meeting of EU defence ministers, where he also called for more naval and air resources to strengthen the operation. "It is certain that (Irini) could be doing more and better, but it is already giving the results for which it was created," he said. 

The new EU ambassador to the North African nation will also have to analyse the impact of Turkey's decision to open borders for many of the refugees in his country to cross into EU territory. "We decided not to stop those who wanted to go to Europe. We fed and clothed them for nine years. Now they want to go to Europe and we do not stop them. (The EU) thought I was joking. Now they see it," said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last March. Turkey and the EU signed a migration agreement in 2016, in which Ankara pledged to keep asylum seekers on its territory in exchange for 6 billion euros in EU funds to assist them.

Violence and instability have become a constant in Libya after the agreement signed last November between Turkey and the GNA. Under this security and economic cooperation agreement, the country headed by Erdogan has stepped up its presence in Libya, sending hundreds of mercenaries and dozens of shipments of military equipment. This intervention has given Ankara a key position in the process of resolving the Libyan conflict. In this context, Malta's foreign minister Evarist Bartolo has suggested creating a coalition between the EU and the US to "gain the trust of the Libyans and help them to put an end to the conflict that this state has been suffering from since 2011," according to The Lybian Observer. 

The European Union is challenged to create a space for dialogue and understanding that will allow the warring parties to find a peaceful solution to this conflict and to show the victims of this war that a permanent ceasefire is possible. Libya has always been a nation characterised by its complex tribal system, as well as by its ethnic diversity and religious homogeneity. In this complex scenario, the EU needs to start playing a more active role in the Libyan crisis in order to contribute to a peaceful solution, in accordance with the Berlin Conference.