The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced on Monday 9 January a reconstruction plan for Pakistan worth around €500 million funded by ‘Team Europe’, which includes the EU, its agencies and its Member States. This should support the country after the severe flooding it experienced in 2022.
Humanitarian aid. Of this, €10 million will be dedicated to humanitarian aid “to ensure that the most urgent needs of the population are covered”, European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič said on Monday, stressing that “Pakistan is still grappling with the consequences of the devastating floods of late 2022”.
He visited the country on 3 October to assess the needs. €1.8 million in emergency aid had been released by the end of August as initial humanitarian aid (see EUROPE 13008/23), supplemented by in-kind aid in early September in response to a request for assistance (see EUROPE 13014/13).
Global Gateway. Also within the area of reconstruction, the EU and Pakistan agreed on a €87 million package for Islamabad as part of the EU’s Global Gateway strategy.
These funds should support inclusive and green economic growth in Pakistan. This package is divided into three programmes to: - improve agricultural value chains; - provide access to clean energy; - support the skilled workforce. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang and Léa Marchal)