EU will give 30 million euros to Colombia to attend Venezuelan immigrants
The European Union announced on Thursday a new donation of 30 million euros to Colombia to help address the growing migration of thousands of Venezuelans fleeing the political, economic and social crisis in the oil nation.
Venezuelan woman with her children in the UN refugee camp in La Guajira, Colombia. / Via REUTERS
Reuters | Luis Jaime Acosta
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Leer en español: UE dará 30 millones de euros a Colombia para atender inmigrantes venezolanos
More than 4 million Venezuelans left their country in recent years fleeing the political crisis and the widespread shortage of food and medicine. Colombia became the main destination and currently more than 1.4 million of them reside in Colombia.
"I am pleased to announce a new aid for 30 million euros aimed at the identification of migrants and their socio-economic integration," said the High Representative of the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union, Federica Mogherini, after a meeting in Bogotá with the president of Colombia, Iván Duque.
"We will support the efforts of the government and local authorities to offer employment, entrepreneurship and decent housing for refugees, migrants, returnees and also receiving communities," said Mogherini, who said that the European Union previously contributed 130 million euros to help with care. of the Venezuelan migration crisis.
The official highlighted Colombia's hospitality with Venezuelan immigrants but insisted that more international help is needed.
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"Colombia cannot do this alone, it needs international support. It has the support of the European Union. This is one of the most financially lacking humanitarian crises in the world and potentially one of the largest," he added.
Colombia repeatedly regrets the lack of funds to address Venezuelan migration, saying that other humanitarian crises such as those in Syria, South Sudan and Myanmar received more donations from the international community.
For its part, Duque announced that a conference on international cooperation will be held in Brussels next October to address the migration crisis in Venezuela.
