BRUSSELS Jan. 16 () –
The European Union announced this Thursday the annual items of its humanitarian budget for 2025, among which an increase in aid to Ukraine and a slight reduction in the allocation to Africa and Asia stand out, while the Middle East remains stable despite the crisis. in Gaza and Syria.
The initial budget announced by the European Commission for 2025 amounts to 1.9 billion, an increase of 100 million compared to the previous year, while the items will be distributed in a similar way although with an improvement for the case of Ukraine, to the detriment of aid to Africa.
Specifically, the EU reserves 140 million for Ukraine, as it enters its third year of war against Russia, with another 8 million for neighboring Moldova, which bears the consequences of the invasion launched by Vladimir Putin in February 2022. Last year The amount for the European neighborhood, which includes Ukraine, was 115 million.
The African continent continues to be the main recipient of European humanitarian aid and has a budget of 510 million euros, including aid that is channeled to the Sahel area, the great lakes and other regions of Africa. This represents a reduction compared to the 2024 allocation, when the EU allocated 546 million in total for Africa, of which 200 million went only to the Sahel and central Africa.
The allocation for the Middle East and North Africa remains stable, with 470 million euros budgeted, of which 375 million will be allocated to address those derived from the war in Gaza and the crisis in Syria, after the fall of the Bashar regime to Assad.
The figures for Asia will also be similar to those of 2024 with 182 million, in line with the 186 million last year. In particular, the funds will go to the crises in Afghanistan and Burma, the latter with important ramifications in Bangladesh.
In the case of Latin America and the Caribbean, the initial allocation is 113 million in humanitarian aid, with the focus on Venezuela, another crisis with both domestic and regional impact, as well as on the populations affected by the conflict in Colombia and the crisis security in Haiti. In 2024, the EU allocated 111.6 million to the region.
In the 2025 budget, emergency funds to respond to unforeseen crises or catastrophes fall somewhat. The EU reserves 295 million for this purpose, below the 315 million in 2024.
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