EU allocates EUR 8 mln to help people on both sides of contact line in Donbas

The European Commission announced today an additional EUR 8 million for the vulnerable people in Ukraine affected by the ongoing conflict in Donbas.

This funding brings EU humanitarian allocation to Ukraine in 2019 to EUR 23 million, according to a press release on the website of the European Commission.

“More than five years of ongoing conflict have exhausted people's ability to take care of their basic needs. The EU is continuing to help the most vulnerable people on both sides of the contact line. This funding will help them withstand the harsh winter conditions,” Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič said.

With the new funding, the EU will support conflict-affected civilians in non-government and government-controlled areas, primarily those living along the line of contact, with heating during the harsh winter, as well as access to water. It will also help repair healthcare facilities and schools damaged during the hostilities, facilitate access to healthcare services and supply medical equipment and medicines.

The EU humanitarian assistance is channelled via UN agencies, NGOs, and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The EU is concerned about the precarious humanitarian situation in eastern Ukraine and continues to call for the full implementation of the Minsk agreements.

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