The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen Tuesday urged for extra money in the EU’s long-term budget for Syrian refugees in Syria and the region.
“We need to enhance our international partnership. Therefore, we need additional budget for Syrian refugees in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Turkiye,” she told a press conference presenting the European Commission’s proposal to review the EU’s seven-year budget, the so-called multi-annual financial framework (MFF).
“We are in a completely different world compared to 2020, when the MFF we are discussing today was negotiated,” she said.
Von der Leyen stressed on three main areas for more financing, Ukraine, migration and external challenges, and EU’s competitiveness.
On Ukraine von der Leyen proposed a financial reserve for the next four years of EUR 50 billion (USD 55 billion), which includes both loans and grants.
“We are asking our 27 Member States to equip us with EUR 66 billion (USD 72 billion) to deliver on these three priorities I have just described: Ukraine, migration and competitiveness,” she added.
The EU had agreed in December 20220 on an unprecedented EUR 1.07 trillion (USD 1.16 trillion) of funding for EU’s multiannual financial framework for 2021-2027 to support recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and the EU’s long-term priorities across different policy areas.
Source: Kuwait News Agency