The European Union (EU) has decided to grant euro 22 million to Sri Lanka to combat the COVID 19 pandemic and mitigate its after effects while commending the Government's' efforts in that regard.
The EU said 2 million euro would be provided to procure medical supplies, 16.5 million euro to support the agriculture industry, and 3.5 million euro to support the tourism industry.
The decision was reached at a meeting held between the head of the EU delegation, ambassadors of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania and Presidential Task Force Chairman former Minister Basil Rajapaksa.
The EU delegation said that they were impressed with the low number of COVID cases in Sri Lanka. They said they were looking at the best way to assist the Government's endeavour to eliminate the pandemic from the country. They too strongly believed that international cooperation was vital to fight against the epidemic and confront its economic consequences around the world.
The EU would provide a portion of the grant with immediate effect and the rest would be provided in due course. The EU would grant EUR 16.5 million for the country's agricultural sector.
It is for maintaining open trade and safeguarding the supply chains, especially agricultural and health supply chains. This funding will take into account the impact of COVID-19 by mobilizing more private capital in rural areas and by assisting small businesses and workers in the Uva and Central Provinces.
The rest of the fund would be granted to support the Sri Lankan tourism industry particularly the smaller operators and their employees. The European Union and its Member States have decided to mobilize euro 16.5 billion overall to tackle COVID-19 and to improve preparedness across the world.
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