MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The European Commission has adopted on Wednesday a record high humanitarian aid budget for 2016, allocating some 1.1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) for humanitarian assistance, the EU executive body said in a press release.
"The European Commission has today adopted its humanitarian aid budget for 2016. With nearly €1.1 billion as an initial allocation, it is the highest EU humanitarian budget for life-saving relief in man-made and natural disasters to date," the press release reads.
According to the commission's press release, the record budget was adopted in light of growing global humanitarian needs that are increasing due to the rising number of refugees and displaced persons as a result of armed conflict, natural disasters, climate change and economic crisis.
The 2016 humanitarian budget will be used to help address the refugee crisis in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and the Western Balkans.
It will also be used to help people affected by conflicts in South Sudan and Ukraine.
