The European Union on Monday pledged nearly $200 million in short-term aid to help Haiti recover from the earthquake and is earmarking almost $300 million in longer-term assistance. Individual European countries have also pledged more than $100 million.
The 27 European Union ministers meeting in Brussels agreed to boost support immediately: “We have taken swift action, making available more than $20 million euros to assist on the ground as well as the individual member states, who have sent a whole range of individual requirements to fulfill the needs – from individuals to support medically, help with water sanitation, to provide the logistial support that’s necessary.”
The short term aid is a mix of new money and money already earmarked for Haiti. And it includes more than $4.3 million already pledged by the EU. It comes as relief workers struggle to reach needy Haitians amid logistical logjams.
Besides offering emergency assistance, the EU will also be offering professional assistance for the Haitian government to function. Government buildings have been damaged and civil servants have been killed and injured in the quake. Ashton said the international community would hold an aid conference for Haiti, although the time and the place have not yet been decided.
(From Voice of America )