The resumption of cooperation with Italy could provide Libya with a springboard into the airspace of other European Union member states.

The Libyan Ministry of Transport and the Italian Civil Aviation Authority signed 2 civil aviation cooperation agreements on December 17. The first aims to facilitate the resumption of flights between Europe and Libya, while the second covers technical cooperation to improve the efficiency of civil aviation personnel.

These partnerships come as the two countries relaunched direct flights between their territories at the end of last September, after nearly 10 years of interruption and despite the European Commission's continued embargo since December 2014 on all flights from Libya.

This has given travelers and airlines more direct access to the bloc's member countries, and reduced the need for long detours via neighboring airports in Africa or non-EU countries.

For Libya, Italy is a key partner committed to helping rebuild the country ruined by a long war that broke out in 2011. As part of a friendship treaty signed in 2008, Italy agreed to release funding for the construction of a 1,800 km highway to interconnect the west and east of the north, from the Tunisian border to that with Egypt.

It should also be noted that this interest in this Maghreb country is motivated in particular by trade-related reasons, notably gas, of which Libya is one of Italy's suppliers, as well as by questions of controlling illegal immigration.

Agence Ecofin