European Commission Grants €30m to Lebanon to Deal with Refugee Crisis

The European Commission will provide additional €30 million to Lebanon to alleviate the impact of the high influx of refugees from Syria, European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy Stefan Fule announced during his visit to Beirut on Tuesday.

“Lebanon receives the highest number of people fleeing the horrible bloodshed in Syria and we know that it puts this country under enormous strain. The hospitality and generosity displayed by the Lebanese towards their neighbors is admirable and commendable,” said Fule.

“The European Union remains committed to assisting the Lebanese Government in its response to the refugee crisis,” Fule added after informing President Michel Suleiman and Prime Minister Najib Miqati about the new financial allocation.

He also welcomed Lebanon's “comprehensive response plan to deal with the refugee crisis and conveyed the European Union's appreciation of the fact that Lebanon keeps its borders open to people fleeing the violence in the neighboring country,” the Delegation of the European Union to Lebanon said in a statement.

The additional €30 million constitutes brings the total amount of financial assistance offered by the European Commission to Lebanon in relation to the Syrian crisis to almost €75 million in humanitarian and non-humanitarian aid.

“The European assistance will be allocated along the priorities of the Lebanese Government and will focus on strengthening of Lebanese institutions in particular in the areas of education and child services for the refugees as well as supporting the Lebanese communities that have hosted refugees from Syria, often in their own homes,” said the statement.

Out of the €30 million announced Tuesday to help Lebanon to cope with the refugee crisis, €5 million would be designated for Palestinian refugees from Syria.

The support of the European Union is managed through U.N. agencies in the country and goes both to emergency humanitarian response and to support the secondary needs of refugees (education, health care) as well as to support the Lebanese host communities which are predominantly in the poorest and most neglected regions of the country.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati stated on Monday that tackling the case of Syrian refugees in Lebanon has become a “very pressing” issue.

He said: “Lebanon can no longer support their burden alone.”

He made his remarks after chairing a meeting for donor countries that have provided aid to the Syrian refugees.