EU to Allocate €433 Million to Belgium, Italy and Luxembourg in Support of People Fleeing War in Ukraine
According to the EU Commission, in Belgium, €33.4 million from the European Social Fund (ESF) will increase orientation, counseling, as well as employment support, AtoZSerwisPlus.com reports.
“The objective is to integrate into the job market refugees from Ukraine and vulnerable job seekers that lost their job or are in precarious employment conditions after the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing in particular on digital skills development,” the statement issued by the Commission reads.
At the same time, in Luxembourg, the Fund for Aid to the Most Deprived will receive €390,000 in order to provide more food aid to people in need. By doing so, it will allow Luxembourg to continue to respond not only to the current needs of families in precarious situations but also to the higher needs and new requirements in food distribution caused by the social consequences of the pandemic.
“In Italy, €136 million will be added to the operational program’ Governance and institutional capacity to help alleviate pressure on the country’s health system, to contribute to hiring new public healthcare workers, and to cover the costs of extra hours worked by 23,200 doctors and other healthcare personnel during the pandemic,” the statement noted.
In addition, €264 million will be used for the purchase of doses of vaccines against COVID-19. The Council also points out that in 2021 the REACT-EU tranche had already allocated €40 billion to help the Member States recover from the pandemic, investing in the digital and green transition and now hosting and integrating people fleeing the Russian occupation.
Since March 2022, the Commission has paid €3.5 billion in pre-financing payments to the Member States under the REACT-EU scheme. Now the Member States can take full advantage of the opportunities presented by the Commission.
The EU contribution would also ease the additional burden on the public budgets of the Member States as the costs that can be covered are eligible retroactively from the date of the invasion of Ukraine.
Recently, the Commission presented the FAST-CARE proposal to ensure that pre-financing payments are increased by an additional €3.5 billion to be paid in 2022 and 2023.
According to the Commission, FAST-CARE responds to these requirements, thus providing additional flexibility for the implementation of Cohesion Policy investments. At the same time, it also contributes to mitigating the delay in the implementation of EU-funded projects due to the combined effect of COVID-19 and high energy costs, shortages of raw materials, and labor caused by the war.
