The Commission has decided today, at the initiative of M. Manuel MARIN, Commissioner responsible for development cooperation and humanitarian aid, in agreement with MM. SCHMIDHUBER and VAN DEN BROEK, a humanitarian aid of 60 million ECU for the victims of the conflict in former Yougoslavia. This humanitarian aid is a first allocation within the EC contribution to Yugoslavia for 1993. Since the beginning of the conflict, the European Commission has contributed aid representing 13 Million ECU in 1991 and 277 MECU in 1992. - - - 1. THE COMMISSION'S PROGRAMME FOR THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF 1993 Whilst the credit of 290 MECU approved by the Commission since the beginning of the Yugoslavian crisis is almost totally used up, major humanitarian needs exist still in the Republics of ex-Yugoslavia, as was indicated by the United Nations in their appeal of 4/12/92. If one takes into account estimates made by ECHO (The European Community Humanitarian Office) and The European Task Force in former Yugoslavia, some 650 MECU will be required in the first six months of 1993 to meet widespread needs going from basic foodstuffs (350,000 tonnes) to financial help to government reception structures dealing with refugees. In view of the help in the pipe-line, 50% of this need is met for certain products and to a large extent for others. Therefore, one can consider that the needs remaining to be covered correspond to about half of this figure : 325 million ECU. By applying the usual formula for distribution agreed in G-24, this implies that the global contribution should be met as follows : Community 162.50 MECU Member States 81.25 MECU Other G-24 countries 81.25 MECU ----------- 325.00 MECU This estimate may have to be adjusted in light of the results of the evaluation mission by the United Nations at present in ex-Yugoslavia in which the Commission is participating. The results of this mission should be known early in March 1993 and should enable the exact amount of needs that the international community will have to meet to be fixed. However, since it is important not to interrupt the flow of aid to those in need, it is essential to unblock a first tranche. This first tranche of 60 MECU decided today by the Commission, will enable an indicative plan to be implemented, which has been drawn up, on the basis of the outstanding eligible requests that the Commission has received (see ANNEX). The 60 MECU will enable, in most cases, the needs for 1.5 months to be covered except for the World Food Programme (WFP) where the programme is only covered for 3 weeks. (The operations of the WFP at present underway cover a large part of the needs for March and April). As indicated above, this programme will only cover a very small part of the needs. It is desirable therefore to examine the question of a second tranche of aid and the financing of this in light of the results of the evaluation mission at present taking place. 2. BACKGROUND : SUMMARY OF HUMANITARIAN AID IN EX-YUGOSLAVIA The number of displaced persons, refugees or other direct victims of the conflict in ex-Yugoslavia has continually risen to reach a figure of some 3,050,000 persons today. This figure does not take account of some 700,000 persons who have fled ex-Yugoslavia to safer European countries, in particular to those of the Community. The effects of the conflict are felt on governement services and infrastructure (communication and housing, in particular, public services etc.) which has profoundly affected the economies of these Republics of ex-Yugoslavia. Faced with this situation, international donors - the Community, its Member States and the other G-24 countries - have made a major effort to carry out humanitarian aid operations to the order of 700 MECU. Since the beginning of the conflict in ex-Yugoslavia, the Commission decided to grant emergency aid of 13 MECU in 1991 and 277 MECU in 1992, totalling about 290 MECU. This aid has enabled 198 emergency operations to be financed using 32 different partners in all the Republics of ex-Yugoslavia. The aid has included sending 300,000 tonnes of food products, 2.7 million family parcels, 178,000 blankets, 50,000 matresses, 4,500 tonnes of soap and detergent, the carrying out of medical programmes for some 24 MECU, shelter programmes for around 37 MECU, etc. Amongst these operations, the provision of family parcels was an original initiative appreciated by local people since it brought them food in addition to the basic rations of the World Food Programme (W.F.P.) as well as extra hygiene products. In this context, ECHO's direct measures for refugees and displaced persons in Serbia (distribution of 325,000 parcels) were particularly appreciated. Amongst the recent aid given in the credit of 290 MECU is a special allocation of 15 MECU to the ex-Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (part of a total of 60 MECU to be given by the European Commission following the General Affairs Council of October 1992 and the European Council in Edinburgh). Another typical decision is the one taken following the Warburton report and the decision of the General Affairs Council of 1 February 1993 approving the recommendations in that report. On 15 February, the day of the co-ordination meeting held with the Member States, the Commission took a first decision (400,000 ECU via Handicap International) to send help to the women who had been raped in ex- Yugoslavia and to other persons suffering from serious psychological trauma. The UNHCR (UN High Commissioner for Refugees), which was designated by the United Nations as the lead agency and co-ordinator of aid, has been the Commission's principal partner. Its programmes of humanitarian aid have been financed by the Commission for about 120 MECU, either as direct financing or in the forms of turn-key operations, which the Commission generally gives to NGOs. In addition to the financial support, a Commission senior official has been designated as deputy to Mrs. Ogata (UN High Commissioner) special envoy to ex-Yugoslavia, following the appeal she made. One of the other most important Community partners has been the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) through whom the Community has sent 29 MECU in aid. The ICRC has given the mobilisation of some of this aid to the Red Cross Societies of the Member States (Germany, Belgium, United Kingdom, France, Greece, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain). Furthermore, the German Red Cross and the French Red Cross have received direct aid from ECHO of 1,010,000 ECU and 610,000 ECU respectively. At the same time, the Member States and the other members of G-24 have financed bilateral aid programmes, which represent a global effort comparable to that of the Commission. Some have, moreover, received a large number of refugees. Others have made a significant contribution to the setting up of UNPROFOR. Following the Birmingham Summit, an European Task Force (ECTF) based in Zagreb was created in order to meet three priority objectives : * to offer logistical support and expertise (lorries, staff...) to the UNHCR and other operators; * to improve co-ordination in particular, by gathering information about the humanitarian aid operations carried out by the Community and by the member States; * to carry out direct operations for ECHO/Zagreb (distribution of food products in Croatia). As regards logistical support, 10 Danish lorries, 12 British lorries and 12 provided by ECHO have been put at the disposal of the UNHCR to carry out the distribution of aid in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Concerning the first and the third objectives, the results are already positive. On the other hand intra-Community co-ordination should be improved. The Commission participates, along with several Member States, to the ECTF with 20 logistics experts, 45 trucks and liaison vehicles, 21 drivers and mechanics, and 17 technicians (interpreters, administrators, etc). - - - ANNEX INDICATIVE PROGRAMME FOR THE FIRST TRANCHE OF HUMANITARIAN AID TO FORMER-YUGOSLAVIA ____________________ PROPOSED FINANCING (MECU) * World Food Programme 8.0 Provision and distribution of basic foodstuffs to all Republics (except Croatia as regards products supplied directly by ECHO) * UNHCR 10.0 Provision and distribution of supplementary foodstuffs, of hygiene products and other basic necessities (blankets, matresses, cooking equipment, distribution of aid given in turnkey operations, costs of staff on the ground, etc.) to all Republics * UNICEF Provision and distribution 3.0 of baby food to all Republics * Gruppo Volontario Civile 0.35 Provision and distribution of supplementary foodstuffs to Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina * Comitato Internazionale per lo Sviluppo 0.6 di Populi Provision and distribution of medical products and of basic services (medical teams) to Bosnia-Herzegovina. * Caritas Germany 1.0 Provision and distribution of foodstuffs to Bosnia-Herzegovina * Malteser Hilfsdienst 1.0 Provision and distribution of food products (turn-key operations for ECHO/Zagreb) to Bosnia-Herzegovina. * ADRA (Germany) Provision and distribution 1.5 of family parcels to Bosnia- Herzegovina * ECHO/Zagreb 7.5 Provision and distribution of basic foodstuffs provided via NGOs, commercial partners etc. to Croatia * ECHO/Belgrade 6.0 Provision and distribution of family parcels provided via NGOs and commercial partners, etc. to Serbia and Montenegro * Croat Government 7.5 Continuation of programme of accommodation costs incurred by the Croat government in Croatia RESERVE 13.55 TOTAL 60.0 * * *
