News

The EU has mobilised emergency humanitarian aid consisting of food medical kits, shelter materials, recreation kits, and winter clothing kits, to meet the urgent, rising humanitarian needs in Lebanon, where over 680,000 people have been displaced in recent days due to ongoing hostilities.

The Presidents expressed deep concern about the impact of the regional crisis on Lebanon. President von der Leyen announced a mobilisation of ReliefEU stocks to support some 130,000 persons in Lebanon with a first flight planned for tomorrow.

2 repatriation flights chartered directly by the European Commission have safely landed in Romania. The 2 flights brought back 356 European citizens who were stranded in the Middle East from Oman to Romania.

Yesterday and today, the European Commission's Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) has supported EU Member States with the organisation of 6 repatriation flights, bringing European citizens safely back to Bulgaria, Italy, Austria, and Slovakia.

This announcement comes as drought related food insecurity and malnutrition rates are surging nationwide in Somalia, with 6.5 million people (i.e. around 1 in 3 Somalis) facing hunger and an estimated 1.85 million children under the age of 5 at risk of acute malnutrition.

Following the recent severe escalation in the conflict in Sudan, Commissioner Hadja Lahbib joined 32 countries to reiterate EU's full support to the people of Sudan and reaffirm its commitment to the respect of international humanitarian law.

With this new humanitarian funding, the EU will provide life-saving services to the most vulnerable in the eastern DRC, but also to Congolese refugees forced to flee the country.

While Russia continues to target Ukraine's energy infrastructure, leaving more than one million people without electricity and water, the European Union remains firmly at Ukraine's side to help its people endure another winter under attack.

In a year of shrinking global aid, the EU is choosing solidarity, delivering life-saving aid and standing by international humanitarian law. Part of this aid will also bolster disaster preparedness and response, given the region's high exposure to natural hazards.