On 31 January, the Lebanese PM Saad Hariri announced that after 8 months of negotiations, Lebanese political parties found the keys to form a new government. In a statement, PM Hariri apologized for the time he had taken to form the government. The new executive is formed by 30 ministers and it includes all the main political parties of Lebanon. Hariri continues to lead the government and his party is represented by 6 ministers. The President Aoun supporters’ parties achieved 11 ministers, while the Shia political front (Amal and Hezbollah) took 6 ministers. The appointment of Jamil Jabak as Health Minister has triggered strong reactions in Israel and in the US, for his strong connections to Hezbollah and the important budget allocated to this Ministry. 4 women are part of the Government, a record in Lebanon; the Interior and Energy portfolios could go to some of them. PM Hariri stressed that the cohesion of the new government will be essential to achieve results and face the economic difficulties. On 31 January, HR/VP Mogherini welcomed the Lebanese Government’ formation with a statement welcoming a “positive step that is of crucial importance for Lebanon’s stability” and adding that “The European Union continues to support Lebanon [considering that] the Lebanese people and the international community have high expectations for the new government”.