Kathimerini Greece Newsroom
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and Ulf Kristerson, Prime Minister of Sweden, who holds the EU Council presidency, are hosting a donors' conference in Brussels today to raise funds and coordinate aid to those affected by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
The European Union's executive arm, the European Commission, will provide 1 billion euros to help rebuild Turkey, said European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen today at the start of an international conference on raising funds following the devastating February 6 earthquake.
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) estimated the "total economic burden of the earthquake disaster" in Turkey at $103.6 billion.
"Millions of people are now homeless and living in tents," said the head of the Commission and continued: "We need to mobilize for reconstruction. Homes, schools, and hospitals must be rebuilt in accordance with the strictest earthquake safety regulations. The restoration of water supply, sanitation, and other critical infrastructure is required. Public services and businesses require capital to reopen in order for people to earn a living."
The Commission, according to Ursula von der Leyen, will spend an additional €108 million on humanitarian aid in Syria. Because of the war that has raged since 2011, the European Union does not have diplomatic relations with President Bashar al-Assad.
According to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the "total economic burden of the earthquake disaster" in Turkey is estimated to be $103.6 billion.
#BREAKING EU will provide one billion euros for Turkey quake reconstruction: Commission chief pic.twitter.com/hISc2IEdzi
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) March 20, 2023
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for his part, claimed that the damage caused by the February earthquakes costs Turkey 104 billion dollars.
It should be noted that the World Bank estimated the cost of material damage caused by the earthquakes in Turkey a few weeks ago at 34 billion dollars, while other Turkish organizations raised this figure to close to 85 billion dollars.
