European Union allocates Rs. 2.4b for Sri Lanka

The Delegation of the European Union to Sri Lanka and the Maldives announced that the European Commission has formally adopted the Annual Action Plan (AAP) 2010 for EUR 16million ( Approx LKR 2.4billion) in grant assistance to Sri Lanka.

The EUR 16 million made available under this programme has been allocated for supporting livelihoods and community infrastructure in the Northern and Eastern Districts of Sri Lanka.

This new programme adds up to the ongoing EUR 52.2million (around Rs. 8.6 billion) grant assistance package allocated to Sri Lanka by the European Union under its European Union – Assistance to Conflict Affected People (EU-ACAP) supporting the early recovery and rehabilitation in the North and the East of the country.

The EUR 16million proposed AAP 2010 is further in addition to the EUR 10million provided for humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka by the European Commission for Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO). This grant will be key in establishing linkages between the humanitarian assistance and medium to long term development assistance for those communities and districts in the Northern and Eastern Provinces benefitting from the European Union’s support.

The Delegation of the European Union to Sri Lanka and the Maldives will launch a Call for Proposals shortly inviting project proposals to be financed under the Annual Action Plan 2010.  Strong emphasis will be put on ensuring the link with earlier humanitarian and relief assistance and on aligning with GoSL socio-economic development plans at central and regional level.