(ANSAmed) - BRUSSELS, MAY 15 - The EU has been invited to
send a mission of election observers to Libya for the upcoming
elections in June, reported the EU Commission in its annual
report on relations with countries in the region, published
today in Brussels.
The EU is helping the authorities organise elections for the
National Congress, although the situation in the country is
still ''very fluid'', the report underlined, with ''a general
lack of coordination and limited institutional capacities''.
Bilateral relations have been defined as ''good'' and the EU
will try to complete ''a long-term agreement with the new Libyan
authorities'' after the elections, once they are ready to start
negotiations.
In the report, Brussels expressed ''preoccupation'' over the
respect of human rights in Libya, in particular regarding
internal refugees, ethnic minorities and sub-Saharan African
immigrants. Economically, current trade with the EU is
essentially limited to oil and natural gas, but the process of
completing agreements in this field ''is quite murky, similar to
the past, often associated with corruption accusations''.
Regarding cooperation, thus far the EU has provided 85 million
euros for humanitarian assistance and has developed a 30
million-euro short-term aid package, which includes support for
civil society and immigrant management. Another 50 million-euro
package has been planned for 2012-2013 whose priorities will be
defined with the Libyan authorities. (ANSAmed).
