Ukraine gets EUR 30 mln in humanitarian aid in 2015

European Commissioner for humanitarian aid and crisis management Christ Stylianides said that Brussels considers one of its priorities relief operations aimed at providing assistance to the population in the areas of Donbas controlled by the militants, according to Deutsche Welle.

The Commissioner drew attention to the need to support Mariupol residents in the wwinter season, according to his reply to the request from the Estonian Member of the European Parliament, Urmas Paet, Deutsche Welle reports with reference to the Estonian media.

Stylianides recalled that the city infrastructure had been severely damaged in thehostilities. The main goal is to support urgent relief operations in areas that have suffered the most and, above all, in those areas which are not under the control of the Ukrainian government, as well as on both sides of the line of contact, according to the official.

The official said that the European Commission has provided about EUR 62.85 million in humanitarian assistance and funds for rapid reconstruction to Ukraine since the beginning of the conflict. In 2015 alone, the amount of aid reached EUR 30 million, according to Stylianides. Nearly 55% of the total sum was allocated for the support of the population of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, said the official.