P oduc ion and Pe cep ion o he EU Bo de Regime in Lebanon: A Case S udy
o he EU- unded Qud a P og amme and i s Impac on Sy ian Re ugees and
he Lebanese Hos Communi y
Au ho s: Iman El Ghoubashy, Nadia Zoë Plönges & A id Sp enge
A chap e om: Schmiz, A., & Lehmann, S. (Eds.) (2025). Geog aphies o he Eu opean
Bo de Regime. How bo de s shape he e e yday li es o e ugees and asylum-seeke s.
Be lin Geog aphical Pape s, 56. h ps://doi.o g/10.17169/ e ubium-48773
Ins i u e o Geog aphical Sciences
F eie Uni e si ä Be lin
2025
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Depa men o Ea h Sciences
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DOI: hUps://doi.o g/10.5281/zenodo.17466680
Ci a ion sugges ion: El Ghoubashy, I., Plönges, N. Z., & Sp enge , A. (2025). P oduc ion and
Pe cep ion o he EU Bo de Regime in Lebanon: A Case S udy o he EU- unded Qud a
P og amme and i s Impac on Sy ian Re ugees and he Lebanese Hos Communi y. Be lin
Geog aphical Pape s, 56, 77–93. h ps://doi.o g/10.5281/zenodo.17466680
Published in: Schmiz, A., & Lehmann, S. (Eds.) (2025). Geog aphies o he Eu opean Bo de
Regime. How bo de s shape he e e yday li es o e ugees and asylum-seeke s. Be lin
Geog aphical Pape s, 56. h ps://doi.o g/10.17169/ e ubium-48773
77
Iman El Ghoubashy, Nadia Zoë Plönges & A id Sp enge
P oduc ion and Pe cep ion o he EU Bo de Regime in Lebanon: A Case S udy
o he EU- unded Qud a P og amme and i s Impac on Sy ian Re ugees and
he Lebanese Hos Communi y
Abs ac :
The Eu opean Union ex e nalises i s mig a ion managemen unde he guise o de elopmen
coope a ion, aiming o con ain e ugees ou side i s bo de s. This s a egy is implemen ed in
Lebanon h ough c isis esponse planning, de elopmen policies and unding p ojec s ha
p omo e social cohesion be ween Sy ian e ugees and Lebanese hos communi ies. Economic
suppo ied o Sy ian e ugees se es bo h as he EU’s pe cei ed ‘ ai sha e’ and a s a egic
ool o he Lebanese go e nmen , which le e ages i s nego ia ion powe despi e weak s a e
s uc u es, o en unc ioning as NGO-s a e whe e ex e nal unds p ima ily low o local NGOs.
Using he EU- unded Qud a p og amme as a case s udy, his esea ch p ojec examines he
p og amme’s implemen a ion and i s impac on Sy ian e ugees, assessing whe he NGO-led
economic and social suppo in luences hei mig a ion decisions. Based on quali a i e
in e iews om 2022, ou indings indica e ha e ugees bene i ing om EU- unded assis ance
a e mo e inclined o emain in Lebanon, while hose wi hou such suppo exhibi s onge
in en ions o mig a e. These esul s a i m he pa ial success o he Eu opean bo de egime
in con aining Sy ian e ugees h ough a ge ed unding while lea ing hem in ulne able
en i onmen s. The EU’s in ol emen in he e ugee c isis esponse and he Qud a p og amme
is con es ed by Lebanese ac o s – including NGO wo ke s and go e nmen ins i u ions – who
challenge his ex e nal in luence, os e ing disc imina o y sen imen s and unde mining
sus ainable social cohesion.
1 In oduc ion
The con empo a y Eu opean Union (EU) bo de egime inc easingly emphasises
ex e nalisa ion as a s a egy designed o con ain e ugees ou side o EU e i o y. This in ol es
he applica ion o o eign policy ools wi h hi d coun ies and in e e ence in o eign
mig a ion go e nance. The EU uses i s economic and poli ical in luence o shape he mig a ion
policies o non-EU s a es, aiming o in e cep e ugees be o e hey each Eu opean bo de s.
This o en includes he use o economic suppo , de elopmen aid and poli ical p essu e o
implemen policies ha a e in line wi h EU in e es s, shi ing he esponsibili y o managing
e ugee popula ions o coun ies ou side o he EU and con aining e ugees in hi d coun ies.
Wi h many Sy ians seeking e uge in Lebanon since he ou b eak o he wa in Sy ia in 2011,
25% o he Lebanese popula ion a e Sy ian e ugees, making Lebanon he s a e wi h he mos
e ugees pe capi a wo ldwide in 2022. Lebanon is o s a egic in e es o he EU bo de
egime ha aims o con ain Sy ian e ugees in Lebanon o p e en hem om mo ing on o
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Eu ope. This pape discusses he indings o esea ch conduc ed o unde s and he
p oduc ion, implemen a ion and pe cep ion o he bo de egime in Lebanon. The au ho s
analyse how he EU and an in e na ional communi y consis ing o EU- unded ac o s,
in e na ional o ganisa ions and he Lebanese go e nmen endo se hei in e es s h ough
policies and c isis esponse plans, and how EU- unded p ojec s con ibu e o implemen ing
hese in e es s, using he Qud a P og amme as a case s udy. By examining he pe cep ions
and pe spec i es o Sy ian e ugees in Lebanon, he au ho s assess whe he he p og amme
unc ions as an e ec i e ool in upholding he EU’s con ainmen s a egy.
As a case s udy ha exempli ies how he EU’s in e es s a e implemen ed on he g ound, his
p ojec ocuses on he p og amme ‘Qud a – Resilience o Sy ian Re ugees, IDPs and Hos
Communi ies in Response o he Sy ian and I aqi C ises’. Funded mainly by he EU h ough he
EU Regional T us Fund Sy ia (EUTF) and Ge many’s Fede al Minis y o Economic
Coope a ion and De elopmen (BMZ), he p og amme is commissioned by he F ench
coope a ion agency Expe ise F ance. I s successo , Qud a 2, ocuses i s suppo on ou
componen s in he ields o educa ion, employmen , local go e nmen al ins i u ions, ci il
socie y o ganisa ions and social cohesion. Reaching ou o Sy ian e ugees in Lebanon and
membe s o he Lebanese hos communi y, ou esea ch examines how he p og amme
a ec s hei pe spec i es and whe he he con ainmen s a egy is success ul.
The pape is s uc u ed as ollows: I p oceeds wi h a e iew o exis ing s udies and ou lines
he key heo ies in o ming he analysis. The me hods chap e explains he esea ch design,
da a collec ion and analy ical app oach. Resul s a e o ganised in o h ee le els consis ing o
he p oduc ion o he EU bo de egime in Lebanon (s a e le el), he implemen a ion o he
EU bo de egime in Lebanon (NGO le el) and he pe cep ion o he EU bo de egime in
Lebanon (indi idual le el). The discussion chap e in e p e s hese indings in he con ex o
he heo e ical amewo k. Finally, he conclusion summa ises he main insigh s and sugges s
di ec ions o u u e esea ch.
2 S a e o he a and heo e ical amewo k
Bo de ex e nalisa ion encompasses a ange o bo de managemen p ac ices ha ex end
beyond e i o ial limi s, concep ualising bo de s as dynamic sys ems shaped by mul iple
ac o s, ins i u ions, and policies. This app oach blu s he dis inc ion be ween he ac ions,
e i o ial so e eign y, and ju isdic ion o bo h ou sou cing s a es and hi d coun ies.
Inc easingly, bo de s a e no de ined by geog aphic bounda ies bu by he mechanisms
go e ning mig an mobili y, ope a ing whe e e he mig an is loca ed (Casas-Co es e al.
2015).
Building upon his unde s anding o ex e nalisa ion p ac ices, his heo e ical amewo k
emphasises how such policies en o ce he in olun a y immobili y o e ugees, con ining hem
o so-called ‘ egions o o igin’. These policies unc ion as ‘con ainmen s a egies’,
p edominan ly employed by Global No h s a es owa d he Global Sou h. They a e o en
implemen ed h ough humani a ian aid, coupled wi h condi ionali ies ha emphasise
79
e en ual epa ia ion. Re ugees in p o ac ed displacemen , meaning hose wi h e ugee
s a us o o e i e yea s, a e pa icula ly a ec ed (E zold & Fech e 2022; Weima/Hyndman
2019). Such ‘ emo e-con ol’ measu es ail o add ess he oo causes o mig a ion, ins ead
exace ba ing e ugees’ p eca i y by keeping hem in a s a e o limbo and exposing hem o
sys emic abuses (Zaio i 2016). Such con ainmen mechanisms c ea e s uc u es o di e en ial
inclusion and exclusion. This esul s in a selec i e sys em whe e ce ain na owly de ined
social g oups ecei e humani a ian aid while o he s a e s a egically excluded (Casas-Co es
e al. 2015; Mezzad a/Neilson 2012). The mechanisms desc ibed he e hus unc ion as
me hods o ‘p e en i e dissuasion’ ha aim o p e en he decision o lea e he coun y om
he ou se (Collye 2019).
The EU’s s a egies o managing o ced displacemen in i s ‘sou he n neighbou hood’ a e
d i en by he secu i y-s abili y nexus and he concep o ‘ esilience’ (Fakhou y & S el 2023).
Resilience- and capaci y-building a e amed as essen ial policy objec i es, acili a ing e ugee
in eg a ion wi hin hos s a es o p e en onwa d mig a ion. A key mani es a ion o hese
b oade s a egic aims is appa en in he EU’s esponse o Sy ian displacemen : Resilience-
building ini ia i es a e speci ically designed o con ain e ugee popula ions wi hin p oxima e
hos s a es, he eby p e en ing seconda y mo emen s owa d Eu ope. This con ainmen
s a egy seeks o con ine Sy ian e ugees wi hin hos coun ies nea Sy ia while simul aneously
shi ing esponsibili y o exac s a es (Anhol /Sina i 2020). Bo h na ional and EU policies
emphasise social cohesion and he mi iga ion o ensions be ween e ugees and hos
communi ies. Qud a 1 and 2, co-managed by GIZ and Expe ise F ance, ope a ionalise EU
in e es s by embedding esilience amewo ks in o hei social cohesion and s abili y
ini ia i es (GIZ 2024).
Lebanon se es as a ele an case s udy o illus a ing hese dynamics. Tsou apas (2019)
applies he ‘ en ie s a e’ concep , whe e s a es de i e ex e nal income om esou ce
ex ac ion o he ‘ e ugee en ie s a e’, which secu es inancial suppo in exchange o
hos ing e ugee popula ions. Unlike Tu key, which le e ages mig a ion as a geopoli ical
ba gaining ool, Lebanon employs a coope a i e app oach, seeking sus ained economic aid
a he han using e ugee lows as a di ec h ea (Tsou apas 2019). The Lebanese go e nmen
ins umen alises he p esence o e ugees o nego ia e b oade inancial suppo , ex ending
hese beyond e ugee- ela ed needs o bene i he s a e and Lebanese hos popula ion
(Fakhou y 2022).
Ins i u ionalised coope a ion wi h Lebanon ensu es he EU’s in luence ex ends beyond i s own
bo de s. Howe e , Lebanon’s mul iple c ises ha e al e ed he na u e o his pa ne ship,
necessi a ing a shi om de elopmen coope a ion o humani a ian assis ance: The a i al o
mo e han 1 million Sy ian e ugees in Lebanon since 2011 has c ea ed demog aphic p essu e
and highligh ed he s uc u al weaknesses o igina ing om he c ea ion o he mode n
Lebanese s a e and i s 1975-1990 ci il wa . Adding o o e 450,000 long- e m Pales inian
e ugees, displaced people made up a ound one-qua e o he Lebanese popula ion in 2020,
making i he s a e wi h he highes concen a ion o e ugees pe capi a in he wo ld. While
80
mos o he Sy ian e ugee popula ion li es in p eca ious condi ions, as 69% all below he
po e y line o US$3.84 pe day pe pe son, he Sy ian ci il wa u he de e io a ed he
Lebanese economy as he eal GDP pe capi a d opped by 8.3% om 2012 o 2015, u he
wo sening Lebanon’s a e age s anda d o li ing (Beaujouan/Rasheed 2020).
In combina ion wi h he dys unc ional poli ical sys em buil on s uc u al mismanagemen ,
co up ion, c onyism and poli ical g idlocks, a inancial c isis s a ed in Oc obe 2019.
Addi ionally, he Co id-19 Pandemic ou b eak in ea ly 2020 and he Bei u po explosion in
Augus 2021 u he agg a a ed he di e socio-economic si ua ion: The o al po e y a e
ipled om 25% in 2019 o 74% in 2021 as he lis ed e en s esul ed in a 90% de alua ion o
he Lebanese pound (Abubaka Siddique 2022; Dahe 2022).
The e o e, Lebanon inc easingly demands ha aid add ess no only e ugee- ela ed
challenges bu also he g owing ulne abili ies o i s own popula ion. These deep-cu ing
changes sugges a complica ion o EU-Lebanon ela ions, g owing di e gence in policy
objec i es as well as a mo e challenging si ua ion o Sy ian e ugees in Lebanon1.
3 Me hods
Ou esea ch ocuses on h ee le els: s a e, NGOs and ci il socie y. The s a e le el se es o
examine policy amewo ks cons i u ing he g ound o he coope a ion be ween he EU, he
in e na ional communi y and he Lebanese go e nmen . The NGO le el looks a how hese
policy amewo ks a e implemen ed on he g ound h ough p og ammes unded by he EU,
exempli ied in he Qud a-p og amme as a case s udy. The ci il socie y le el looks a he
bene icia ies o he p og amme, Sy ian e ugees and he Lebanese hos communi y.
Fo he s a e le el, ou esea ch is buil i s ly on a documen analysis examining he ele an
in e na ional policies on s a e le el ha link de elopmen coope a ion di ec ly o indi ec ly o
he p esence o Sy ian e ugees in Lebanon. Th ee ele an policies we e iden i ied: he
Eu opean Neighbou hood Policy (ENP), he Lebanon C isis Response Plan (LCRP) and he
Lebanon Re o m Reco e y and Recons uc ion F amewo k (3RF) (EU 2006; EU e al. 2020; UN
& Minis y o Social A ai s Lebanon 2021).
Funded by bo h he EU and he Ge man go e nmen , he p og amme ‘Qud a – Resilience o
Sy ian Re ugees, IDPs and Hos Communi ies in Response o he Sy ian and I aqi C ises’ se es
as a case s udy o analyse he implemen a ion o hese poli ical amewo ks on he g ound
and o assess i s impac on bene icia ies, Sy ian e ugees and he Lebanese hos communi y.
As i is acili a ed h ough NGOs and aims o p omo e social cohesion be ween Sy ian e ugees
1 A he &me o he case s udy in 2022, he Assad egime in Sy ia was s&ll in powe . Is o e h ow, led by HTS on
he 8 h o Decembe 2024, was made possible by shiDs in egional and in e na&onal powe dynamics, including
Tu kish suppo o he HTS, he weakening o I an and he Hezbollah and Russia’s changing p io i&es. ADe his
egime change ini&ally led o a wa e o en husiasm wi hin he Sy ian popula&on and diaspo a, i emains
unclea by he &me o w i&ng (mid-2025) o wha ex en his de elopmen influences he e u n o displaced
Sy ians om coun ies o e uge such as Lebnanon (Ada e al. 2025; Pin old 2025). In ea ly 2025, he secu i y
si ua&on in Lebanon was p eca ious, as Is aeli ai s iked we e hiRng Bei u along wi h o he ci&es ac oss he
coun y, p omp&ng e acua&ons and displacemen s (Bei u U ban Lab 2024).
81
and he Lebanese hos communi y, his case s udy co e s he NGO and ci il socie y le el o
ou esea ch (Expe ise F ance 2019; GIZ 2024).
We conduc ed in e iews on all h ee le els o s a e, NGO and ci il socie y o po ay he
s uc u e and he e ec s o he Qud a p og amme. Using ac o -mapping, we isualised key
ac o s and he eby showed ela ionships and esul ing hie a chies ha shape exis ing powe
s uc u es a he ime o he conduc ed esea ch (Desai e al. 2017). As shown in Figu e 1,
Qud a ep esen s a di ec link be ween sup ana ional, EU and Lebanese ins i u ions as well as
local NGOs, which hen connec o Lebanese hos communi ies and Sy ian e ugees. We
app oached o ganisa ions in e e y ac o -clus e , howe e , se e al impo an ac o s like he
GIZ, Expe ise F ance and a pa o he implemen ing NGOs did no espond o ou in e iew
eques s.
Figu e 1: Ac o mapping o ins i u ions and ac o s in mig a ion managemen , policy making and he EU- unded
Qud a p og amme in Lebanon in 2022, c ea ed o ope a ionalisa ion pu poses (au ho s’ own illus a ion 2022)
As shown in Table 1, we conduc ed i e quali a i e semi-s uc u ed in e iews on he s a e
le el wi h o icials o he Eu opean Delega ion o Lebanon, he Ge man Minis y o
De elopmen Coope a ion and he Minis y o Social A ai s in Lebanon (I#1-5). Th ough
pu posi e sampling, we accessed he ele an o icials in cha ge o coope a ion ma e s wi h
o in Lebanon. Semi-s uc u ed in e iews explo ed he dynamics, p io i ies and limi a ions o
he coope a ion and how he EU and in e na ional communi y a e using policies and c isis
plans as a ool o asse i s in e es . Fu he mo e, wo o he six NGOs wi hin he Qud a
p og amme ag eed o pa icipa e and se e as a pu posi e sample (I#6-8) o ga he p oblem-
cen ed expe insigh s h ough he h ee quali a i e semi-s uc u ed in e iews (Pa on 2015;
S a o d/B adshaw 2021).
82
To assess he impac o he NGOs economic and social suppo , we accessed some o he
bene icia ies o he Qud a p og amme h ough snowball sampling ia he implemen ing
NGOs, including Sy ian e ugees as well as amilies om he Lebanese hos communi y. The
s a o NGO 1 acili a ed access by accompanying he eam on home isi s. This sample bias
is ine i able since only he NGOs know who hei bene icia ies a e. Na a i e in e iews we e
conduc ed wi h wo Sy ian amilies and wo amilies o he Lebanese hos communi y (I#9-
12). This app oach enabled he esea ch eam o documen indi idual expe iences and
illus a e he pe sonal impac s o poli ical decisions (Dunn 2021; S übing 2018). The
esea che s also in e iewed a g oup o h ee male Sy ian e ugees in he esea ch p ocess o
u he assess whe he he economic and social suppo by NGOs is an impac ing ac o o
he mig a ion in en ion o Sy ian e ugees. Th ough con enien sampling, he esea che s
conduc ed na a i e in e iews wi h h ee male Sy ian e ugees who did no ecei e any
economic o social suppo om NGOs unded by he EU (I#13-15). I is impo an o highligh
ha his esea ch is quali a i e, and ha esul s a e no ep esen a i e o all bene icia ies o
Sy ian e ugees who do no ecei e unding h ough he p og amme bu a he o e
explana o y insigh s.
89
ac o s, Lebanese go e nance s uc u es and Lebanese local NGOs, highligh ing he ensions
and limi a ions o 2022 policy app oaches.
The EU, oge he wi h an in e na ional communi y consis ing o EU- unded ac o s, IOs and he
Lebanese go e nmen , uses policies and plans o inse hei objec i es whene e applicable,
e en going so a as o s e ch hese ools acco ding o hei cu en in e es s. The momen um
o c ises and inc easing ulne abili y is ins umen alised o ancho long- e m goals like policy
e o ms in acu e c isis esponse plans. By p io i ising and condi ionalising economic suppo
h ough policies, plans and p ojec s, he disclosed mig a ion egime unded by he EU lobbies
o he in eg a ion o Sy ian e ugees in o he Lebanese socie y, o a leas o con aining
e ugee indi iduals wi hin Lebanese bo de s. This app oach is con es ed by he Lebanese
go e nmen , which a emp s o eclaim leade ship o e c isis esponses. Despi e g owing legal
and social exclusion, Sy ian e ugees a e le wi h no iable al e na i e o s aying in Lebanon.
A he ime o esea ch, Lebanon was pa ly desc ibed as an ‘NGO s a e’ (I#7) in which
in e na ional unds sus ain NGOs a he han he espec i e s a e ins i u ions. While NGOs ill
go e nance gaps, hey emain dono -dependen , limi ing hei abili y o enable long- e m
impac s. This eliance c ea es a agmen ed sys em whe e humani a ian o ganisa ions p o ide
essen ial se ices bu lack he au ho i y o sys emic e o m.
The analysed Qud a p og amme o eg ounds his dynamic by channelling mone a y esou ces
o local NGOs ia GIZ and Expe ise F ance. Qud a suppo s, among o he objec i es,
humani a ian aid, de elopmen , educa ion and he es ablishmen o sa e y ne s, bu s uggles
o p o ide a sus ainable long- e m goal. This inding e lec s b oade mig a ion managemen
ends on a global le el. In Lebanon’s case, local NGOs ac as p oxies in mig a ion con ol,
connec ing humani a ian aid wi h con ainmen s a egies (Weima/Hyndman 2019). EU
policies ein o ce hese p ocedu es by unding and collabo a ing wi h NGOs in ansi
coun ies, keeping e ugees in one place wi hou add essing oo causes o p o iding long-
e m solu ions.
Dono -dependencies h ough ex e nal undings and bu eauc a ic hu dles weaken NGO
e ec i eness as sho - e m p ojec s domina e, hus limi ing sus ainabili y ega ding
s uc u es, ins i u ions and sys emic e o m. Addi ionally, in e nal NGO ensions eme ge, wi h
some os e ing inclusion while o he s echo disc imina o y na a i es, e lec ing b oade
socie al di isions and weakening social cohesion as biases agains Sy ian e ugees a ec
in eg a ion e o s. Wi hou s able, s a e-led amewo ks, NGOs p o ide c ucial aid bu canno
eplace sys emic go e nance. Th ough dono -d i en p io i ies, eac i e policies a e
pe pe ua ed a he cos o las ing posi i e change, he e o e main aining a cycle o
dependency a he han os e ing du able solu ions (I#4).
Rega ding he limi a ion o he esea ch, i is c ucial o highligh ha he c edibili y o he
indings is s eng hened h ough he engagemen wi h mul iple ins i u ions and including
a ious pe spec i es, e ealing bo h o icial na a i es and unde lying ensions. Howe e , a
comp ehensi e analysis would equi e a b oade inclusion o addi ional s akeholde s,
ep esen a i es o he in e na ional communi y, o he Lebanese ac o s, o he NGOs in ol ed
90
in he Qud a p og amme, and o he EU- unded p ojec s. Expanding he numbe and scope o
in e iews wi h Sy ian e ugees and Lebanese hos communi ies would gi e u he
comp ehensi e insigh s in o he p ac ical impac o s a e policies, coope a ion be ween
in e na ional o ganisa ions and go e nmen s as well as implemen a ion p ocesses.
To inc ease me hodological alidi y, u he esea ch would need o deepen he assessmen
o he NGOs impac on mig a o y decisions. This should include he measu emen o he
bene icia ies’ in en ion o mig a e be o e and a e he in e en ion o he NGOs. I should
also include he measu emen o he in en ion o mig a e o a compa ison g oup ha is no
bene i ing om any NGO suppo o e alua e he ele ance o NGO suppo as a ac o in
mig a ion decision-making. Addi ionally, he eliabili y o ce ain e ugee es imonies (I#9,;
I#10) mus be c i ically assessed. The p esence o a social wo ke o NGO 1 du ing he
in e iews wi h he Lebanese and Sy ian amilies (I#9-12) may ha e in luenced esponses, as
NGO 1 was hei p ima y suppo p o ide , po en ially leading o an o e ly posi i e po ayal
o NGO 1 and Lebanese socie y. Fu he mo e, he social wo ke , se ing as bo h ansla o and
in e p e e , may ha e inad e en ly in luenced esponses. This sample bias was due o he
necessi y o accessing hese indi iduals h ough hei bene icia y NGOs, as he la e had an
impo an unc ion as doo -opene and mos likely also wished o main ain con ol o e he
con ac p ocess, hus ac ing as ga ekeepe s, oo. In in e iews wi h NGOs, dis inguishing
be ween pe sonal iews and public na a i es was pa icula ly challenging. No ably, he claim
o NGO 2 ha no ensions exis be ween Lebanese socie y and Sy ian e ugees con adic s
s a emen s made by NGO 1, poin ing ou he poli ical sensi i i ies o he issue and highligh ing
possible e o s o des igma ise Sy ian e ugees.
Ano he aspec wo hy o u he explo a ion is he con es ed ole o he Lebanese
go e nmen . Beyond he EU, Lebanon’s exclusiona y mechanisms play a pi o al ole in e ugee
con ainmen , di ec ly shaping he EU’s ex e nalisa ion s a egies. Despi e asse ions o a
quasi-absen Lebanese go e nmen in e ms o unc ioning minis ies and depa men s
highligh ed by mos o he in e iewed s a e ep esen a i es (I#1-4), he Lebanese
go e nmen pu sues a e-app op ia ion o he e ugee c isis esponse in an e o o posi ion
he Lebanese go e nmen as an ac i e agen in he bo de egime on he g ound. A be e
unde s anding o hese dynamics would o e deepe insigh s in o he mul i-laye ed
go e nance o o ced displacemen .
6 Conclusion
This esea ch con ibu es o c i ical bo de s udies wi h i s insigh s on a conc e e case o
ex e nalisa ion wi hin he EU bo de egime. I examines whe he he economic suppo
p o ided by he EU, implemen ed h ough p ojec s by NGOs, in luences Sy ian e ugees’
mig a o y decisions. Ou indings con i m ha he EU is applying a con ainmen s a egy o
Sy ian e ugees in Lebanon which is, o some ex en , success ul. The EU assu es h ough i s
condi ional economic suppo ha he ex e nalisa ion o mig a ion managemen and
con ainmen in e es s a e imposed h ough policies, plans and p ojec s. Fu he implemen ed
by NGOs on he g ound, he EU ies o p omo e Sy ian e ugees’ in eg a ion in o Lebanese
91
socie y, a he han suppo ing o he pe spec i es such as ese lemen o a hi d coun y o
e u n o Sy ia. The case s udy o he Qud a p og amme showed ha Sy ian e ugees
suppo ed by NGOs wo king wi hin his p og amme end o conside hei s ay in Lebanon as
hei bes op ion. Howe e , i is impo an o highligh ha u he esea ch is needed o
ga he mo e mul i ace ed esul s on he di ec impac o economic suppo o Sy ian e ugees
h ough NGOs on hei mig a ion decisions.
This esea ch u he showed how he EU’s con ainmen s a egy is con es ed by he Lebanese
go e nmen , which ies o egain leade ship in i s e ugee and c isis esponses and opposes
he idea o pe manen in eg a ion o Sy ian e ugees in o Lebanese socie y. The implica ions
o his con ainmen s a egy ma e ialise in g owing legal and social exclusion. Sy ian e ugees
who do no bene i om economic suppo h ough NGOs we e mo e a ou able o u he
mig a e, implying ei he a e u n o Sy ia o he unce ain wai ing o legal oppo uni ies o
mig a e o he Global No h. I is impo an o ques ion whe he he EU can main ain i s
s a egy o ex e nalisa ion and con ainmen wi hin he cu en con ex o dec easing unding
and a g owing ulne abili y among a signi ican po ion o Lebanon’s popula ion.
92
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