Belarus-Poland: EU Commission, €700,000 in aid for migrants at the border. Lenarcic, “access to humanitarian organisations must be guaranteed”

The European Commission has allocated €700,000 in humanitarian assistance for vulnerable people stranded in inhumane conditions at the Belarus-Poland border. The Commission explained in a statement that €200,000 will go to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) as part of the EU contribution to the Emergency Fund. The funding will be managed by the Belarus Red Cross to deliver food, hygiene kits, blankets, and first aid kits. Another €500,000 will go to the EU’s humanitarian partner organisations. Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič, however, urgently called for “continuous access of humanitarian organisations from both sides to reach this large group of refugees and migrants to provide them with urgent assistance”. As Poland introduced a state of emergency in the area bordering Belarus, humanitarian organisations and journalists cannot reach people. “We are ready to do more”, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen added, “but the Belarusian regime must stop luring people and putting their lives at risk”.
Sarah Numico