EU to deliver 100 tons of aid to Syria, additional €4M in humanitarian funds

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The European Commission announced that it would deliver nearly 100 tons of aid to Syria through neighboring Turkey. According to a statement published on the Commission's website on Dec. 13, 50 tons of medical supplies will be flown from EU stockpiles in Dubai to Turkey’s southern Adana province for distribution in Syria in the coming days.

Additionally, 46 tons of health, education, and shelter supplies will be transported by road from Denmark's stockpiles to Adana. UNICEF and the World Health Organization will handle the distribution of the aid in Syria.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, "We stand with the Syrian people," according to reporting by Deutsche Welle (DW) Turkish.

She added that she would discuss details regarding the delivery of humanitarian aid during her meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Turkey on Dec. 10. Von der Leyen emphasized, "With the situation on the ground so volatile, our assistance to the Syrian people is more critical than ever."

The Commission announced an additional €4 million in funding to address the region's most urgent humanitarian needs, bringing this year's total EU aid for Syria to €163 million. The new funds will support trauma kits, critical health supplies, emergency shelter kits, sanitation services, and food parcels for 61,500 people in northern Syria.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) also requested $250 million in funding to provide food aid to 2.8 million displaced and vulnerable people in Syria over the next six months.

According to UN data, more than 1 million people—mostly women and children—have been displaced since opposition attacks began in Syria, ultimately leading to President Bashar al-Assad's removal from power. Over the 14 years of civil war that resulted in Assad's ousting, more than 500,000 Syrians were killed, and millions were displaced.