Tajani: In the absence of a central role for the EU, the future of #Libya will be in the hands of other countries

“The future of Libya is being decided now, and the EU has to play a central role in managing this crisis. If we are not able to carry out this task, we will leave the door open for the ambitions and interests of countries, such as Russia, Egypt or the United Arab Emirates”. With these words, European Parliament President Antonio Tajani (pictured) commented on the decision of the European Parliament to hold a debate on the Libyan crisis during the plenary in Strasbourg yesterday (11 September).

According to Tajani: “In the absence of a stable Libyan government that can control the country´s borders and territory, managing migration flows from Libya´s coast will become more difficult. Moreover, the smuggling of weapons and drugs will continue to help terrorists, putting in danger the safety of African and European citizens.

“The country is a powder keg ready to explode. The clashes in Tripoli that caused over 200 dead over the last few days have further exacerbated internal conflicts and, despite an agreement on a ceasefire, the situation remains extremely fragile. Europe should intervene in this crisis with more conviction, speaking with a single voice, as requested by all the Libyan representatives I spoke to during my trip to Tripoli last July.

“The debate among the representatives of 500 million Europeans must bring us a step closer to an EU shared approach towards this emergency. We need more effective co-ordination among member states and European institutions, and a step back from those member states that only promote their national agendas, at the expense of a shared approach, thus damaging all European citizens.”

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