News
Slovak Republic becomes a donor to Migrant and Refugee Fund
8 October 2015
PARIS – The Slovak Republic announced today that it was committing € 300 000 to the Migrant and Refugee Fund (MRF), a new instrument established by the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) to support member states in coping with the influx of migrants and refugees.
The MRF will primarily finance reception and transit centres to assist countries in their immediate response to the current crisis. Projects aimed at facilitating the integration of refugees and migrants at a later stage may also receive financing.
Peter Kažimír, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of the Slovak Republic, affirmed his country’s readiness to support the CEB’s latest initiative. “The current refugee and migrant crisis in Europe calls for immediate and unprecedented action,” he added.
The Slovak Republic joins Cyprus and Germany, two CEB member countries who have already pledged their contributions to MRF.
The CEB has endowed MRF with € 5 million and is inviting donors to contribute funds to reach an amount of € 20 - 25 million.
CEB Governor Rolf Wenzel said: “The announcement by the Slovak Republic of its contribution to the newly established MRF reaffirms the support which CEB member states have shown to this important initiative. On the behalf of the CEB, I would like to thank the Slovak Republic and I am confident that other donors will follow suit.”
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.
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