EU humanitarian aid to Cuba

The European Commission has adopted an intervention plan, providing €8 million of funding for vulnerable people in Cuba. The funds will be channeled by the Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) through partner organizations working in the country. The decision focuses on elderly and disabled people who have no family support or resources, living both in the community and in social institutions.

The plan covers the most urgent needs of these groups including supplementary feeding, personal and domestic hygiene, housing and clothing. It will entail the distribution of essential goods and short-term rehabilitation operations in a number of residential centers. Ten non-governmental organizations will be involved in implementing the plan.

ECHO's activities are being wound down in Cuba with a view to terminating operations by the end of December 2001. As this occurs, other Community instruments and budget lines (including food security, NGO co-financing and economic co-operation) are due to take over, without necessarily reducing the overall amount of the aid granted to Cuba (€17 million in 2000). This readjustment of policy, which takes place within the framework of the EU Common Position on Cuba, reflects changes occurring in the Cuban economy and society. In the period 1993-2000, ECHO spent €78 million in humanitarian aid in Cuba.

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