INTRODUCTION
Political developments
After the end of the military conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in the summer of 2006, Lebanon entered a two-year long political stalemate which virtually paralysed state institutions. Additional unrest in the Nahr el-Bared refugee camp in North Lebanon added to the general instability of the country. The crisis reached its climax in May 2008 when Lebanon found itself on the brink of another civil conflict. Street battles and gunfights opposed Hezbollah (and its allies) and government supporters. An agreement was reached by the rival factions in Doha (Qatar) marking the end of an 18-month political crisis. The compromise enabled the election of General Michel Sleiman as President (after 19 consecutive postponements of the vote) and the formation of a national unity government. As stated in the final EU Election Observation Mission (EU EOM), the June 2009 parliamentary elections were perceived as being well prepared and peacefully conducted. The pre-election status quo now seems to have been reconfirmed by the formation of a new national unity government in November 2009. Nevertheless the political situation remains fragile and might have an impact on the implementation of EU policies and strategies in Lebanon.
EU-Lebanon relations
Despite the difficult political situation, Lebanon made a particular effort to launch the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). Initial institutional cooperation was established with a fully-fledged Association Council, an Association Committee and ten subcommittees. As noted in the ENP progress reports published by the European Commission, this difficult situation significantly slowed down the process of implementation of the EU-Lebanon ENP Action Plan. Several draft laws adopted by the Government prior to May 2008 were not debated by the Parliament owing to a legislative deadlock and to the lengthy process of forming a government after the June 2009 parliamentary elections. As a result little progress was achieved in putting in place the reforms endorsed by the international community in Paris in January 2007. Progress in other fields (human rights, judicial reform, social sector reform, and regulatory and administrative reform) was also slow. This situation has had an impact on the overall social, economic and political situation in the country as well as on the dialogue within the European Neighbourhood Policy and the implementation of Community assistance. Nevertheless the mid-term review process has revealed that no significant changes in the policy framework guiding EU-Lebanon relations have occurred since the adoption of the country Strategy Paper. In the regional context, the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership formally known as the Barcelona process was re-launched at the Paris Summit in July 2008 as the Union for the Mediterranean. Lebanon is one of the 16 partners across the Southern Mediterranean and the Middle East which together with the EU 27 Member States form this partnership download
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