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EU launches emergency trust fund to tackle refugee issue in Africa

Xinhua, November 12, 2015 Adjust font size:

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker launched here Thursday an emergency trust fund for stability and addressing root causes of irregular migration and displaced persons in Africa.

The emergency trust fund is made up of 1.8 billion euros (1.93 billion U.S. dollars) from the European Union financing instruments, and above this amount come contributions from EU Member States and other donors.

According to a press release from the European Commission, so far, 25 EU Member States and two non-EU donors (Norway and Switzerland) have announced a total contribution of around 78.2 million euros.

Juncker said the fund for Africa, set up at a record speed, showed once more the EU's commitment to swiftly reply to the large challenges people face in the region.

"I want to see more Member States contributing and matching the 1.8 billion euros the EU has put forward," he said.

The Valletta summit was called by the European Council in April this year to discuss migration issues with African and other key countries concerned. The emergency trust fund for Africa was one of the main deliverables of this summit.

An action plan to step up cooperation on migration was also expected to be adopted at the summit, including concrete actions in order to maximize the development benefits of migration and address root causes. Other topics covered better organizing legal channels for migration and mobility, ensuring international protection for migrants and asylum seekers, intensifying the fight against criminal networks engaged in migrant smuggling and human trafficking, and stepping up cooperation on return and readmission. Endit