News
Germany tops up contribution to CEB Migrant and Refugee Fund
2 December 2016
CEB Governor Rolf Wenzel and German Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Council of Europe Gerhard Küntzle signed the contribution agreement today at the CEB’s headquarters in Paris.
The MRF is a trust fund established by the CEB in October 2015 to help its member states cope with migrant and refugee flows. The Bank has so far approved over € 18 million in grants for a total of 14 projects, mainly in the Balkan region.
Priority is given to the financing of reception and transit centres, but the Fund may also be used to help CEB member countries to integrate migrant populations and enable them to rebuild their lives in dignified conditions.
The CEB’s approach to the migrant and refugee crisis is a comprehensive one and entirely consistent with the principles of the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants and the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework, adopted earlier this year by the United Nations General Assembly.
Mr Wenzel said: “I would like to thank the German government for this most welcome additional contribution to the MRF. These funds will enable us to continue providing support to countries receiving migrants and refugees.”Set up in 1956, the CEB (Council of Europe Development Bank) has 41 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, AA+ with Standard & Poor's, outlook stable and AA+ with Fitch 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.