Brussels, 01/08/2005 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission has made an additional 30 million EUR available to help the long-term reconstruction of the province of Aceh, in Indonesia, which was devastated by last year's tsunami. This region has already benefited from initial Community funding of 207 million EUR, which was channelled to the Multi-Donor Tsunami Reconstruction Trust Fund, and to reinforce the local government (see EUROPE 8952), including 7 million EUR under the Rapid Reaction Mechanism, in order to start off the long-term reconstruction work, and 200 million channelled via the Trust Fund. This aid comes on top of the 123 million EUR provided in emergency aid by the surfaces of the European Commission to help all of the countries affected shortly after the disaster. The extra 30 million EUR will go to help to repair and rebuild housing, to infrastructure and basic public services, to re-start economic activities and to ensure means of subsistence for the populations. It will also help to reinforce the capacities of the Reconstruction Agency and the local government in Aceh, and a peace agreement has just been concluded in Helsinki between the Indonesian government and the separatist movement GAM (see EUROPE 9000). As an addition to this aid, the European Commission will establish "Europa House" in the next few weeks, which will be led by its delegation in Jakarta, and tasked with helping to coordinate donors for reconstruction activities and to increase dialogue between the local communities and the competent authorities on the ground. The Commissioner for External Relations, Benita Ferrero Waldner, pointed out that the Commission is one of the main donors working together with the Indonesian government to launch the first long-term reconstruction projects in the regions of Aceh and northern Sumatra, noting: "Immediately after the disaster, humanitarian aid was delivered to the region. Now I am very happy to announce that the reconstruction plans and projects, to which we are contributing substantially, focus on the dispersed communities so that families can return to a normal existence with dignity".