News
Ireland contributes € 250 000 to Migrant and Refugee Fund
9 December 2015
PARIS - The Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) welcomes Ireland’s contribution of € 250 000 to the Bank’s Migrant and Refugee Fund (MRF).
The MRF is a grant facility recently established by the CEB 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.
Priority is given to the financing of reception and transit centres in countries receiving migrants and refugees. Emergency aid has so far been provided to Serbia, “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” and Slovenia, with further projects in the pipeline.
MRF grants have been used for the provision of medical care to refugees and the installation of sanitary facilities and food preparation equipment in reception centres.
CEB Governor Rolf Wenzel stated: “I would like to thank the Government of the Republic of Ireland for this generous contribution, which is an important sign of European solidarity and will enable the Fund to fulfil its objectives.”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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