BEIRUT: While in its regional context Lebanon does have certain social and political assets, it remains a particularly hard sell to European investors, a senior European Union official told journalists Friday. Regional turmoil and uncertainty are of course among the deterrents but Lebanon also has its own internal raft of problems that present obstacles to attracting private sector investment, Bernardino Léon made clear during a one-day visit to Lebanon, his first as EU Special Representative for the Southern Mediterranean.

People in Europe tend to see the region as a unit, Léon explained, relating how the conflict in Syria is believed to be impacting negatively on tourism in Morocco despite the countries being at opposite ends of the Mediterranean. “But there are also some specific Lebanese problems,” he said. [Link]