EU to provide vulnerable countries $633M to address food crisis

Brussels (The Times Groupe)- The European Union will provide vulnerable countries with an additional €600 million ($633 million) to cope with the food crisis caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine.

“To help our partners we will mobilize an additional 600 million euros to avoid a food crisis and an economic shock,” Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, announced at the 2022 European Development Days conference in Brussels on Tuesday.

It has taken a “heavy and senseless toll” not only on the Ukrainian population, but also on those most vulnerable worldwide, she said.

“Russia is still blocking millions of tons of desperately needed grain,” she added.

In a statement, the EU executive said it approved a proposal to mobilize funds from the European Development Fund to help African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries “to cope with the dire situation.”

With the additional funds, “we will strengthen our support to address the crisis, while contributing to sustainable and resilient food systems,” said European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen.

Humanitarian assistance will receive €150 million, sustainable production and food system resilience will receive €350 million, and macroeconomic support will receive €100 million.

A €3 billion food security package was previously announced by the bloc. This aid tops that up.

To counter “Russian propaganda” on global food security, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell will write to every African country’s top diplomat.

The global food supply has not been endangered by EU sanctions, but by Russia’s blocking of grain shipments from Black Sea ports and destruction of crops.

The Russian government denies responsibility for the food crisis, blaming Western sanctions.

In some African countries, sanctions on Russia, in particular its exclusion from SWIFT, prevent them from buying food. ukraine