European Commission announces new aid program for Ukraine as winter nears

BRUSSELS. Oct 20 (Interfax) - The European Commission on Wednesday announced a new program of emergency shelters and winter facilities for Ukraine and humanitarian aid for the most vulnerable groups of the population in Ukraine and Moldova.

"The upcoming winter is likely to bring major challenges to Ukraine and we must be prepared. Via our rescEU [the rescue component of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism] reserve, a temporary shelter capacity will be immediately deployed to three different regions in Ukraine," said European Commission for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic, who is currently in Ukraine.

In addition, "the EU is boosting its humanitarian aid funding with a further 175 million euros to provide education, food, access to water, and protection from the cold winter for the most vulnerable," Lenarcic said.

According to the European Commission's communique published in Brussels, the EU's humanitarian assistance to Ukraine this winter will include the deployment of emergency stockpiles of shelter units and other items to Ukraine with a total value of 62.3 million euros.

Overall, together with the shelter reserve hosted by Romania, the EU will be able to provide temporary emergency shelter for up to 46,000 people.

Out of an additional 175 million euros in humanitarian aid, 150 million euros is allocated for operations in Ukraine, while 25 million euros is for operations in Moldova.

"The key priority is to provide winterized shelter in view of the expected freezing temperatures. Other priorities include education in emergencies, health, and protection assistance," the European Commission said in its statement.

European Council President Charles Michel said in an invitation letter to European leaders ahead of the EU summit in Brussels that the heads of state and government of EU countries would discuss assistance for Ukraine, including in light of preparations for the winter.