VIENNA (dpa-AFX) - Days after the College of Commissioners presented a set of priority actions to be taken within the next six months to manage the refugee crisis, the European Commission Wednesday made a first set of concrete proposals for EUR1.7 billion of EU funding in 2015 and 2016 to address the refugee crisis
The money will provide emergency assistance to the most affected EU Member States, increase staffing at front line EU agencies, and provide assistance and humanitarian aid in third countries. The Commission is now counting on the budgetary authority - the Parliament and Council - to fast track the adoption of these measures, as they committed to doing last week.
Today's proposals involve EUR801.3 million for 2015, and will be funded in part from new funding in the form of a proposed draft amending budget for 2015. In this regard, the Commission is proposing additional commitments of EUR330.7 million from Member States. The Commission is also proposing that funds are relocated from other areas. For this, the Commission foresees EUR70.6 million from other programmes and actions and EUR400 million originally foreseen for humanitarian aid and funding for European neighbourhood policies.
The second set of proposals for the remaining EUR900 million for 2016 announced last week will be included in an amendment to the draft budget 2016.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said: 'The European Commission has been consistently and continuously working for a coordinated European response on the refugees and migration front. We have achieved a great deal in a short space of time. And we will continue to work flat-out to bring common, European solutions.'
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX