EU humanitarian aid for Serbia

Serbia hosts today the largest refugee population in Europe: there are still 375,537 refugees from Croatia and Bosnia, most living in very difficult conditions. Channeled through the Humanitarian Aid Office of the EC (ECHO), which comes under the responsibility of Commissioner Poul Nielson, this additional financial support will allow NGOs to carry out the distribution of food assistance to the most vulnerable refugees in the course of the first part of the winter. With this decision, ECHO's assistance to Serbia in 2001, amounts to almost €50 million.

ECHO has allocated € 2.5 million for the distribution of food parcels to some 160,000 vulnerable refugees hosted in private accommodations and collective centers. The assistance given complements the basic food distributed through the World Food Programme (WFP). It will alleviate the harsh living conditions for the refugees during the most difficult part of the year, i.e. during the winter.

The situation of refugees in Serbia is critical. According to the recent ECHO-funded UNHCR re-registration, 6 % of the refugees intend to return to Croatia and Bosnia, 64 % are willing to remain in Serbia and the rest is undecided. The results of the WFP-UNHCR led Food needs assessment mission point at the difficult conditions in which 40% of the refugee population live.

This decision will allow NGOs to conduct a one-off distribution of winter parcels targeting the most vulnerable refugees. The contents of the winter parcels will be determined in close co-operation with the other agencies involved in this sector.

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