Credit: Wikipedia.   European Commission based in Brussels

By Gary Raynaldo    DIPLOMATIC TIMES

The European Commission is allocating a further €50 million ($56.3 US million) in emergency assistance to help Venezuelans most in need. The EC announced Wednesday in Brussels that the increased aid was being allocated “as the social and economic crisis in Venezuela continues to worsen.” Led by the UK, France, and Spain, more than a dozen EU countries have endorsed Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president of Venezuela.  Total EU assistance for Venezuela currently stands at €117.6 million since 2018.

 “The European Union stays at the forefront of the international mobilisation to support the Venezuelan people. We are working on strengthening international cooperation to make sure that humanitarian aid, including this new commitment, reaches the people in need inside and outside Venezuela in an impartial manner and through independent channels, without any attempt to politicise the delivery of aid”.

EU High Representative/Vice-President Federica Mogherini said.

Credit: EU.com /  Federica Mogherini /  High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy 

Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides added:  “The EU stands by the people of Venezuela at this critical time. We are stepping up our assistance and aid operations in Venezuela and the region. Our additional support includes emergency shelter, healthcare, food assistance, nutrition services, access to safe water and sanitation, as well as children’s education.”

Last year, Commissioner Stylianides visited the eastern Colombian border with Venezuela where thousands of migrants have crossed the Simon Bolivar International Bridge. The EU has been providing support both inside Venezuela and in neighbouring countries for several years, providing funding to humanitarian partner organisations helping people on the ground.

According to the United Nations, the current crisis has  triggered unprecedented population displacements in the Latin American region.  According to the UN, an estimated 3.4 million people within the region have been displaced, (1.1 million in Colombia),  more than 506,000 in Peru, and 221,000 in Ecuador. Many others have fled to other countries in South America, the Caribbean and Central America.