Press Release: The European Commission earmarks EUR6 million for natural disaster preparedness in South Asia

The European Commission on 14 February 2006 decided to earmark € 6 million from the humanitarian aid budget to step up its natural disaster preparedness efforts in South Asia. The funds were to be channelled through the Commission’s humanitarian aid department (ECHO). The assistance provided by this third DIPECHO action plan was aimed at improving the response capacity of the local population in one of the most natural disaster-prone regions of the world.