CEB approves additional €2.6 million to urgently assist refugees from Ukraine

PARIS - As part of its immediate response to the war in Ukraine, the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) has approved five additional grants worth almost €2.6 million to help its member states deal with the massive displacement of people from Ukraine.

The financing comes from CEB's Migrant and Refugee Fund (MRF) and is granted to the country offices of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Hungary, Republic of Moldova, Poland, Romania and Slovak Republic - CEB member countries that are recording substantial refugee inflow from Ukraine.

According to the UN Refugee Agency, more than 3 million people have fled Ukraine to neighbouring countries since 24 February 2022. This figure is rising on a daily basis and impacted CEB member states may not have the capacity to meet the needs of displaced Ukrainians on a large scale. In anticipation, the CEB Administrative Council has approved the replenishment of the MRF with €5 million.

"We are in regular contact with our member countries bordering Ukraine to define and swiftly implement concrete support measures," noted CEB Governor Carlo Monticelli. "In line with our mandate and longstanding expertise in dealing with displacements, we will focus our efforts in areas where we can make most impact."

Thanks to its past experience and the MRF track record since 2015, the CEB has been able to identify needs in the field quickly by leveraging its strong ties with public authorities and partners, such as the IOM and country-specific actors.

The approved grants will finance the provision of emergency assistance to displaced persons, namely food, medical support and clothing, registration, legal support and counselling, transportation and accommodation. To pre-empt potential exploitation of displaced persons, the grants will support the systematic collection and analysis of migration flow data by the IOM, and allow safe pathway for return to third-country nationals. The Bank had previously granted € 150 000 to IOM Slovakia to support displaced persons from Ukraine.

The CEB stands ready to replenish the Migrant and Refugee Fund further if the humanitarian situation in and around Ukraine deteriorates and threatens to overwhelm the capacity of our countries to deal with the crisis.

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Migrant and Refugee Fund (MRF) is a trust fund set up by the CEB in 2015 to help its member states accommodate migrants and refugees who arrive on their territories. The MRF has received contributions from 22 CEB member states, as well as the CEB and the European Investment Bank (EIB). Among CEB member states, the largest contributors are Germany, France and Italy. Since its establishment, the CEB has approved €28 million in grants from the MRF in favour of 30 projects.

Set up in 1956, the CEB (Council of Europe Development Bank) has 42 member states. Twenty-two Central, Eastern and South Eastern European countries, forming the Bank's target countries, are listed among the member states. As a major instrument of the policy of solidarity in Europe, the Bank finances social projects by making available resources raised in conditions reflecting the quality of its rating (Aa1 with Moody's, outlook stable, AAA with Standard & Poor's, outlook stable, AA+ with Fitch Ratings, outlook positive and AAA* with Scope Ratings, outlook stable). It thus grants loans to its member states, and to financial institutions and local authorities in its member states for the financing of projects in the social sector, in accordance with its Articles of Agreement.
*unsolicited