EU Doubles Aid for Georgia
The European Union said on June 15 that it will announce a pledge of some USD 150 million of EU support to Georgia for the period 2004-2006 at the Donors? Conference in Brussels on June 16.
?The assistance is designed to support the Georgian government?s urgent needs in order to carry through its substantial reform plans,? the EU press release issued on June 15 reads.
Together with humanitarian assistance, through the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO), as well as rehabilitation in areas of Georgia affected by the conflicts in breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia, total EU assistance to Georgia for 2004-2006 amounts to USD 164 million.
?This represents a doubling of EU assistance compared with the previous 3-year period 2001-2003,? the EU said.
At the Donors? Conference in Brussels on June 16-17, which is co-chaired by the European Commission and the World Bank, Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania will submit a request for urgent financial priorities in the amount of USD 480 million for the years 2004-2006.
