EU policies concerning Lebanon and the bilateral cooperation on migration and security – new challenges calling for new institutional practices?

Arguing that a security–stability nexus is a dominant theme in shaping the EU's foreign policy approach towards recent challenges in the Mediterranean, the article applies a historical institutionalist theoretical framework when analysing EU policies concerning Lebanon. The article discusses how the EU–Lebanese cooperation in the light of the unstable political environment in Lebanon is being impacted by the Syrian crisis and how this has been dealt with by EU institutions. It is argued that significant changes in the EU's policies and practices over recent years have taken place. Related to the EU–Lebanon Association Council decision of November 2016 launching the EU–Lebanon Compact, new institutional systems and practices are established regarding cooperation within areas where the EU and Lebanon share common interests. Finally, it is shown that the EU's institutional setup in connection with the Compact represents a pragmatic approach, which, dealing with a crisis situation, aims at making concrete and tangible practices possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]