Brussels – The European Union is to release a second tranche of €10 million to support the communities hardest hit by the earthquakes in Venezuela on 24 June. The first instalment, also amounting to 10 million following approval by the budgetary authority, is intended to “support the operations of search and rescue, medical, and other expert teams, together with in-kind assistance deployed in the country,” according to the press release issued by the European Commission. The announcement of the total €20 million in humanitarian aid to the country coincides with the visit to Venezuela by the European Commissioner for Crisis Preparedness and Management, Hadja Lahbib. “From the very first hours after the earthquakes, the European Union has stood by them,” said the Commissioner on her visit. “This new funding will help provide food, drinking water, medicines, shelter, and other life-saving aid to families who have lost everything.”
This new contribution is in addition to the €5 million in emergency aid approved at the end of June and the €52 million already allocated at the start of the year to tackle the consequences of the socio-economic crisis that has long been affecting the country. European aid is distributed exclusively through partner organisations, including United Nations agencies and international NGOs, in collaboration with local organisations.
The EU’s humanitarian airlift, launched in June, is also continuing: two flights funded by Brussels have already reached Venezuela, carrying almost 80 tonnes of essential supplies. On the operational front, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism has mobilised around 750 rescue workers and experts from 18 countries, along with medicines, temporary shelters, essential supplies, and a satellite telecommunications platform. The European satellite service Copernicus has also provided emergency maps to support operations on the ground.
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
