By Festus Poquie
Liberia’s diplomatic relationship with the European Union is apparently under strain after the government asked Brussels to recall its ambassador, leaving the bloc’s mission in Monrovia without a permanent head and raising concerns about future cooperation on trade, governance and natural resources.
Liberia formally requested the removal of Nona Deprez, the EU’s head of delegation, in a diplomatic note dated March 6, 2026, addressed to EU foreign-policy chief Kaja Kallas. The request became public in June after Deprez had left the country. Brussels has not named new envoy to Monrovia since the ambassador forced exit.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused Deprez of making derogatory and misleading comments about Liberia’s leadership, transparency and management of natural resources. The alleged remarks were made to government officials, investors and other stakeholders, including at the Liberia-EU Business Forum in February.
According to the diplomatic note, Deprez told an investor that Vice President Jeremiah Koung was exercising responsibilities outside his mandate and controlled the mining and energy sectors alongside the minister responsible for those areas. She also allegedly questioned the transparency of President Joseph Boakai’s administration, citing the omission of some energy projects from the president’s annual message.
Trade and Forest Cooperation Already Under Pressure
The EU is a 27-member trading bloc with an economy valued at about €18 trillion.
The diplomatic dispute comes after signs of tension in a key area of EU-Liberia cooperation: timber.
In October 2024, the EU notified Liberia of its intention to terminate a Voluntary Partnership Agreement designed to ensure that timber exported to the bloc comes from legal sources. The agreement, negotiated from 2009 and ratified by Liberia in 2013, was part of the EU’s Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade program.
Deprez confirmed the planned termination in a letter to a coalition of Liberian nongovernmental organizations, although she didn’t state the reason. Liberia has yet to meet the requirements for a licensing system under the agreement, more than a decade after signing it.
The decision followed concerns over illegal logging and weak enforcement. A review of forest concessions found that none of 11 concessions examined complied fully with Liberian law, according to reporting by The DayLight. An EU-commissioned investigation also found illegal harvesting on a “significant scale” and said the Forestry Development Authority had breached regulations.
