In a press statement, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, announced the EU support for Lebanon, through a financial package of EUR 1 billion that would be available from this year until 2027. President von der Leyen stressed that this support aimed at (1) strengthening basic services and investments in education, social protection, and health, (2) taking forward economic, financial, and banking reforms, (3) supporting the Lebanese armed forces as well as the general and internal security forces, inter alia providing equipment, training and the necessary infrastructure for border management and (4) helping in migration management.

In respect of migration management, President von der Leyen underlined that the EU remained committed to maintaining legal pathways open to Europe and resettling refugees from Lebanon to the European Union. She noted that the EU was however counting on Lebanon's good cooperation to prevent illegal migration and combat migrant smuggling. The EU committed to continuing assisting Lebanon as a host country for Syrian refugees and making this assistance more effective. This includes exploring how to work on a more structured approach to voluntary returns to Syria, in close cooperation with UNHCR, and strengthening support for humanitarian and early recovery programmes in Syria. 

The deal has already received criticism and raised concerns. Kelly Petillo from the European Council on Foreign Relations stressed that the deal was rather intended to prevent migration to Cyprus and to the rest of Europe, and that the deal should avoid providing any assistance that "makes the EU complicit in forced refugee returns to Syria". ECRE member organisation Amnesty International EU urged both the EU and the Lebanese government to respect their “obligations under international law and not forcibly return refugees to Syria as long as the conditions for safe, voluntary and dignified returns are not met”.