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Refugee crisis: EU pledges urgent aid to Greece

Xinhua, March 16, 2016 Adjust font size:

European Union (EU) member states on Tuesday made the decision to provide emergency support for the difficult humanitarian situation in Greece caused by the refugee crisis.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the General Affairs Council chaired by Bert Koenders, Dutch foreign minister and the council's president.

The emergency support mechanism has been set up to help Greece and other member states address the humanitarian needs of the large numbers of men, women and children currently seeking asylum.

The aid is aimed at alleviating their basic needs -- water, food, medicine, and shelter -- and will be provided by the European Commission or partner organizations like UNHCR or NGOs.

"This emergency support mechanism is a big step in the right direction," said Koenders.

"It's crucial that resources are made available quickly so that the refugees' plight can be alleviated with all possible speed," he said.

Last week, the Netherlands, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU, led the way by sending a plane carrying blankets, sleeping bags, and camp beds to Greece. Ambulances have also been made available, Koenders said.

Europe is experiencing the worst migrant crisis since the Second World War. Greece, a front line country in the migrant crisis, sees some 2,000 refugees arrive on its shores each day.

At the moment, there are around 35,000 refugees in the financially troubled country.

The European Commission estimated that a total of 700 million euros (768.09 million U.S. dollars) would be needed from 2016 to 2018 to address the needs of refugees, of which 300 million euros would be required in 2016.

The emergency support mechanism proposal was put forward on March 2. The European Commission and the European Parliament still have to agree on the financing.

According to the proposal, the aid need not be confined to the current refugee crisis. It can also be used for other emergencies or humanitarian crises, such as terrorist attacks, epidemics, and nuclear disasters. Endit