News
Czech Republic contributes CZK 2 500 000 to Migrant and Refugee Fund
10 May 2016
PARIS - The Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) welcomed the Czech Republic’s announcement that it was contributing CZK 2 500 000 (approximately € 92 500) to the Bank’s Migrant and Refugee Fund (MRF).
The MRF is a grant facility established by the CEB in 2015 to help member countries cope with the influx of migrants and refugees. The CEB endowed the MRF with € 5 million and invited donors to contribute funds with a view to reaching an amount in the region of € 20 - 25 million.
More than € 16 million in emergency grants has so far been provided to affected countries, with further projects in the pipeline.
Priority is given to the financing of reception and transit centres, especially to the provision of medical care to refugees and the installation of sanitary facilities and food preparation equipment in those centres.
The Fund may also be used to help CEB member countries integrate migrant populations and enable them to rebuild their lives in dignified conditions.
Commenting on the announcement of the Czech contribution, CEB Governor Rolf Wenzel said: “The continuing migrant and refugee crisis is a major challenge facing Europe. The CEB has been proactive in terms of supporting its member states affected by the crisis. I would like to thank the Czech Republic, the latest contributor to the MRF, for this expression of European solidarity.”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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