Ebola response: EU scales up aid with planes, material aid and research support | WPN World People News

The European Union and its Member States have now pledged more than €1 billion in response to the Ebola crisis in West Africa. This means the Union has already gone beyond the target set by the European Council on 24 October for €1 billion in assistance to stem the epidemic.

The EU is boosting its investment in Ebola research, sending more material aid and providing new capacity for medical evacuations of international aid workers.

This announcement comes just ahead of the mission of the European Union's Ebola Coordinator and Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides and the Commissioner for Health, Vytenis Andriukaitis to the Ebola-affected countries in West Africa,

The European Commission, together with the European pharmaceutical industry, is launching a €280 million call for proposals to boost research on Ebola. This will help address the current epidemic and manage future outbreaks.

The European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation Carlos Moedas said: "The EU is determined to help find a solution to Ebola. We are putting our money where our mouth is and boosting EU research on Ebola with an additional €280 million. With this funding from Horizon 2020 and our industry partners, we are stepping up the development of new vaccines and medications to help save lives around the world".

The EU is also beginning its biggest single operation of transporting material assistance to the affected countries. A Dutch ship is sailing from the Netherlands, loaded with ambulances, mobile hospitals, laboratories and other equipment. The cargo has been provided by nine Member States (AT, BE, CZ, FI, HU, NL, RO, SK, UK) and UNICEF. The EU Civil Protection Mechanism is coordinating the operation.

"By pooling our resources, Europe's efforts make a much bigger difference on the ground. At a moment when the availability of medical evacuations is such a crucial factor for encouraging more medical workers to join the Ebola response, I particularly welcome Luxembourg's leadership on this priority with the contribution of specially equipped planes," said Commissioner Stylianides.

Luxembourg has become the first EU Member State to commit aeroplanes for European medical evacuation operations of international humanitarian workers diagnosed with Ebola. The two planes are retrofitted for the purpose with co-funding by the European Commission which will also finance the bulk of the transport costs for evacuations under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

Source: European Union