The European Union Trust Fund launched a € 350 million aid package in response to the Syrian refugee crisis to aid 1.5 million displaced in Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and Iraq, it said in a statement on Wednesday.
“The aid package is the single biggest EU measure in response to the Syrian refugee crisis to date. It will provide urgently needed aid to 1.5 million refugees and overstretched host communities in Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and Iraq,” the statement said.
It added that the “EU Regional Trust Fund has adopted a package of programs totaling €350 million. The programs will in the coming months help up to 1.5 million Syrian refugees and overstretched host communities in Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and Iraq through the provision of basic education child protection, better access to healthcare, improved water and waste-water infrastructure, as well as support to resilience, economic opportunities and social inclusion.”
Federica Mogherini, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, stated: “The decision is concrete evidence of EU solidarity with Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, those countries hosting the largest number of Syrian refugees who flee violence and persecutions.”
“The war in Syria is the biggest humanitarian crisis we have been facing for decades. We have a duty to provide support to refugees and the communities that are hosting them,” she added.
“The Trust Fund will enable more than 1.5 million Syrians to receive access to education, water, food and healthcare. In addition, it will help us be ready to ensure that if a ceasefire is in place, we can rapidly deliver on the ground inside Syria.”
Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn, commented: “Europe and the countries in Syria's neighborhood are facing the biggest refugee crisis since the end of World War II, affecting all of us. Our response must be a joint one if we want to succeed.
“I am convinced that this is the most effective way to address the root causes of the current migration crisis, and to turn despair into hope and future for the refugees,” he concluded.
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