The new EU ‘logistics hub’ recently established in Poland to speed up the delivery of crucial energy equipment to Ukraine was inaugurated on Thursday 26 January by the EU Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, and the Polish Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, during a joint visit to the strategic warehouse.
The EU has allocated €114 million to Poland for the purchase of 1,000 new generators to feed the rescEU equipment pool, most of which will be delivered to Ukraine.
This will be in addition to the 1,400 generators and millions of items of emergency equipment already donated through the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism since the start of the war in Ukraine.
The Polish logistics centre will facilitate the transport and storage of donated equipment from third countries and speed up their delivery, as announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the international conference ‘Solidarity with the Ukrainian people’ in Paris on 13 December (see EUROPE 13083/32).
“By opening the new rescEU energy hub for other donors, we can help boost energy donations for Ukraine in its darkest hour”, the Commissioner stressed.
At a press briefing in Poland with Mr Morawiecki, he thanked “the Polish government and the Polish people for their generosity and solidarity with Ukraine and for the critical role played by Poland in our efforts”.
He recalled that Poland also hosts a centre for the evacuation of Ukrainian patients near Rzeszów, thanks to which 18,000 patients have been evacuated to hospitals in 20 European countries for appropriate medical treatment (see EUROPE 13012/12).
Moreover, of the 80,000 tonnes of emergency aid and equipment that have been delivered so far by all the countries participating in the EU’s civil protection mechanism, 80% have been delivered from Poland, he said.
He assured that “our support for Ukraine will continue as long as necessary”. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)