Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
The European Commission in Brussels said that the Commissioner in charge of crisis management, Janez Lenaric, will receive the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants in Lebanon, Mr. Abdullah Bou Habib, next Friday.
  Brussels sources said that the Lebanese minister will discuss with a number of officials in European Union institutions ways to develop relations between his country and the unified European bloc, developments in the situation at the regional and international levels, and joint cooperation in various fields.
Last March, the European Commission announced the allocation of 60 million euros in aid to Lebanon, at the conclusion of a visit made by Lenaric to Lebanon, where he met with humanitarian partners on the ground and many Lebanese officials.
The Commission stated that the new funding comes at a time when Lebanon's population faces increasing levels of poverty, food insecurity and disease outbreaks. An estimated four million people need humanitarian assistance to meet their basic needs.
She added that the humanitarian package announced by the European Union will provide life-saving humanitarian aid such as food aid, cash support, education and health services to those who need it most. It will also help prepare for disasters and provide emergency response.
The statement stressed that “all European Union humanitarian aid is provided on the basis of needs, regardless of status or nationality. The assistance is provided through non-governmental organizations, United Nations agencies and international organizations. The latest funding brings the value of European Union humanitarian aid to Lebanon since 2011 to "Approximately 860 million euros."