According to informed sources in Beirut, the Lebanese file will be a key item on the agenda of the 26th الفرنسية-الألمانية Ministerial Council, which will convene on Friday, July 17. During the meeting, Europe is expected to present a new initiative aimed at reasserting its role in Lebanon—not as a substitute for the United States, which continues to lead negotiations and provide security guarantees, but as a partner in shaping the country’s next phase.
الألمانية Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul announced that the details of the Lebanon initiative will be unveiled during the council meeting, co-chaired by الفرنسية President Emmanuel Macron and الألمانية Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
According to sources following the developments who spoke to LebTalks, the initiative will focus on the following key pillars:
1. Consolidating the ceasefire and ensuring sustainable security arrangements by supporting the deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces and strengthening mechanisms for implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1701, with the aim of reinforcing the Lebanese state’s authority in southern Lebanon and preventing a return to renewed escalation.
2. Strengthening the Lebanese Armed Forces and security institutions through the international conference on support for the Lebanese Army that France is preparing, based on the principle that lasting stability can only be achieved through state institutions capable of exercising their authority across the country.
3. Linking economic assistance and reconstruction to a clear reform agenda, including judicial reform, financial sector restructuring, public administration reform, and anti-corruption measures. This comes particularly after the Lebanese Parliament approved the draft law authorizing the government to conclude an agreement with الألمانيةy on establishing local offices for the الألمانية Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the الألمانية Development Bank (KfW).
4. Addressing the future of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Despite the ceasefire agreement, continued tensions on the ground have intensified discussions over reviewing UNIFIL’s operational mechanisms and effectiveness, as its current mandate expires at the end of this year. The initiative is also expected to examine the possibility of an alternative international force, given that any long-term stability framework for southern Lebanon will require effective monitoring and implementation mechanisms. This issue is of particular importance to both Paris and Berlin, with France being one of UNIFIL’s largest contributors and الألمانيةy participating through its naval component.
5. Re-establishing a stronger European role in Lebanon. الألمانيةy’s involvement alongside France expands the initiative beyond the traditional الفرنسية diplomatic framework by bringing the political and economic weight of the European Union’s largest economy, turning it into a broader European effort to shape the bloc’s policy toward Lebanon.