Faced with the escalation of the war in Ukraine, the EU is stepping up its humanitarian aid and coordination of efforts to send the emergency assistance requested by Ukraine and neighbouring countries.
On Tuesday, 1 March, the European Commission announced “at least €500 million from the EU budget for humanitarian aid”, according to the institution’s president, Ursula von der Leyen—an amount equivalent to what will be spent on supporting Ukraine’s military defence, she explained.
On 2 March, this figure was also put forward by President of the European Council Charles Michel when he was in Poland, where he went to meet Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki “and to show the EU’s solidarity” with this host country for Ukrainians fleeing war (see EUROPE 12901/6).
“Some of these funds will be deployed within the EU, but there is not yet an exact breakdown of how much and where”, an official from the institution told EUROPE on Wednesday.
In any case, he stated that the €500 million is in addition to the initial allocation of €90 million in humanitarian aid that was announced on 27 February in order to meet the basic needs of vulnerable people in Ukraine and Moldova with regard to food, potable water, healthcare, and shelter.
“Russia’s war in Ukraine is amounting to a humanitarian catastrophe not seen in decades in Europe”, commented European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič, expected to visit the Polish-Ukrainian border on Wednesday with Commissioner Ylva Johansson and Moldova on Thursday in the company of France’s Minister for [Europe and] Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian.
As of Wednesday, 2 March, 26 EU countries had responded to Ukraine’s request for assistance via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and offered medical aid kits, medicine, sleeping bags, and generators—the most recent contributors being Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Luxembourg, Norway, and Portugal (see EUROPE 12900/6).
Moldova’s request for assistance was met by Croatia, Denmark, Greece, Finland, and Sweden, which offered ambulances, tents, blankets, and a field kitchen, complementing the aid already provided by France, Austria, and the Netherlands.
In response to requests submitted by Slovakia and Poland for support in handling the influx of refugees, France is sending medicine and other medical equipment to Poland, whereas Greece and Germany are sending tents, blankets, and masks to Slovakia.
The UN Flash Appeal for the Regional Refugee Response Plan for Ukraine and the region, launched on 1 March, requests US$1.1 billion for more than 6 million people who need vital protection and assistance over the next three months in Ukraine. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)