The European institutions will participate in a donor videoconference organized by France on Sunday to mobilize emergency humanitarian aid for the people of Beirut after the two explosions that ravaged the city, the European Commission announced on Friday.
The President of the European Council Charles Michel will represent the member states, said Brussels executive spokesman Eric Mamer. The President of the European Council Charles Michel will visit Beirut on Saturday.
33 million euros already released
“We are in an emergency phase. This is not a conference for reconstruction. It will intervene in a later phase, ”insisted Eric Mamer, working for the moment on an“ estimate of humanitarian needs ”.
The European Commission coordinated the dispatch of 300 specialized rescuers to Beirut and released 33 million euros for the first emergency needs, in particular medical aid.
Need for reforms
"It will be necessary to ensure that the funds that will be made available are managed in the most efficient way possible", underlined the spokesperson for the Brussels executive. "The European institutions insist on the need to undertake the reforms which are expected by the population", for his part declared the spokesman of the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell.
French head of state Emmanuel Macron traveled to Beirut on Thursday. He announced the organization of an aid conference and called on the government to "crucial reforms" to break the deadlock in negotiations with the International Monetary Fund.
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- Humanitarian aid
- EU
- Lebanon
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