China News Agency, Brussels, August 9 (Reporter De Yongjian) The Lebanese International Pledge Conference was held in Paris on the 9th. The European Union pledged 30 million euros at the meeting to provide emergency humanitarian assistance to Lebanon.
The European Commission issued an announcement on the same day to announce the news. The announcement did not elaborate on the specific aid projects. It only stated that 30 million euros of aid will be distributed through UN agencies, non-governmental organizations and international organizations, and will be "strictly regulated."
The announcement quoted the European Commission’s commissioner in charge of crisis management Lenarcic as saying that after the big explosion in the Beirut port area on August 4, the European Union has been adjusting its power to help Lebanon. This round of 30 million euros of assistance is intended to help hundreds of thousands of the most vulnerable people in Lebanon. Food, clean water, sanitation kits, emergency shelters and other materials will be distributed to them, and emergency medical assistance will also be provided.
This is another round of aid promised by the EU to Lebanon within three days. On August 6, European Commission President Von der Lein had a phone call with Lebanese Prime Minister Diab, confirming that the European Union would provide Lebanon with more than 33 million euros in aid for local medical assistance and protection of critical infrastructure.
In addition, the EU is dispatching about 300 rescuers to Lebanon, including firefighters, biochemical experts, medical experts, etc., and is also dispatching a warship capable of taking off and landing helicopters to Lebanon to transport the wounded and transport medical and protective equipment; Italy , Denmark, Sweden, France, Norway and other countries have also provided Lebanon with chemical protective clothing, medical equipment, surgical kits and other assistance.
Regarding the EU's aid to Lebanon, Von der Lein and Diab said in a phone call that the current unity and stability of Lebanon are becoming more and more important to the region, and the EU attaches great importance to it; in addition to providing emergency humanitarian assistance, the EU will also be committed to supporting the reconstruction of Beirut. Dispatch experts and equipment to help assess the explosion disaster, assist in handling hazardous materials such as asbestos, and plan to explore how to increase Lebanon’s trade with Europe, and provide trade preferences and customs clearance for Lebanese products exported to Europe.
Before the Beirut explosion, Lebanon, which is hosting a large number of Syrian refugees, was also a key target of EU assistance. According to EU statistics, since 2011, the EU has provided Lebanon with a total of 2.3 billion euros in aid, of which more than 660 million euros are humanitarian aid. (Finish)