About us
About the EU Border Assistance Mission in Libya (EUBAM)
The Mission responds to an invitation by Libya and is part of the EU's comprehensive approach to support the transition to a democratic, stable and prosperous Libya.
Since September 2019, the Mission has been based in Tripoli but maintains a sub-office in Tunis.
On 18 June 2021, the Council extended the Mission’s mandate for a further two years until 30 June 2023, approving a budget of €84.85 million for the period from 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2023.
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Mandate
EUBAM Libya supports the Libyan authorities in developing border management and security at the country’s land, sea and air borders. As a civilian crisis management mission with a capacity-building mandate, EUBAM assists Libyan authorities at the strategic and operational levels. The work is carried out through advising, training and mentoring Libyan counterparts in strengthening the border services in accordance with international standards and best practices, and by advising the Libyan authorities on the development of a national Integrated Border Management (IBM) strategy.
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Mission activities
At the strategic level, EUBAM has helped the Libyan authorities to set up a cross-ministerial body, the Border Management Working Group (BMWG), to coordinate the response among naval, police, border guards, customs, and all the other agencies involved. The Mission has also taken the lead, in close cooperation with the BMWG, in coordinating international support in the field of border management.
The content of EUBAM Libya's training, advising and mentoring activities has covered all areas of IBM, such as intra and inter-agency cooperation, risk management methods, optimal use of existing equipment and restructuring of agencies to increase effectiveness. The Mission has trained and provided border management advice in several locations, including Ghadames, Ra's Ajdir, Tripoli and Misrata. Training and advice have been delivered to hundreds of Libyan border management officials on aviation security, customs best practices, vehicle and passport checks, risk analysis, international and inter-agency cooperation and maritime search and rescue, among other topics.
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Head of mission
Natalina Cea is the Head of Mission of the EU Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM) in Libya. As an Italian civil servant, she has worked at a senior level for more than 20 years, both in Italy – as Director of the International Cooperation and Technical Assistance Office of the Italian Customs Administration – and internationally, leading missions, programs and projects in the civilian security sector, particularly in the field of border management and related security and justice issues.
She has led the EC Mission CAM -Albania and more recently, she was at the head of two EU Common Security and Defence Policy missions: EUBAM Rafah in Palestine and the Regional Coordination Cell (RCC) in the Sahel. These experiences further developed her leadership capabilities in international contexts, particularly those affected by security crises. She has a thorough understanding of CSDP and its procedures, including planning and evaluation systems and reporting to PSC and CivCom, further enhanced by her most recent secondment to CPCC in Brussels.
While serving in Italy, she headed a significant number of projects funded by the EU, covering countries in the Balkans, the Middle East and North Africa, thereby increasing her knowledge of security and border issues in the wider Mediterranean context, including cross-border cooperation agreements and integrated border management strategies and plans.
Ms. CEA holds a degree in Economics and has completed several post-graduate courses in negotiation and mediation, Security Sector Reform, Theory of Change and impact evaluation. She has also coordinated studies on EU and international best practice in customs and regional border management and the security and defence sectors, including their presentation at international fora.