site.btaParliament Ratifies Agreement on Madad Fund in Response to Syrian Crisis

Parliament Ratifies Agreement on Madad Fund in Response to Syrian Crisis

Sofia, June 22 (BTA) - The National Assembly Wednesday ratified the Agreement establishing the EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis, the "Madad Fund", and its Internal Rules. Bulgaria will join the "Madad Fund" with a contribution of 100,000 euro as a confirmation of its active position in favour of finding effective solutions to the refugee problem in Europe and as an act of solidarity with the most significantly affected countries.

The contribution will come from the budgetary resources for official development aid under the Foreign Ministry's programming budget for the corresponding year.

The "Madad Fund" provides for a more coherent, faster and integrated EU response to the Syrian crisis by merging various EU financial instruments and contributions from Member States into one single flexible and quick mechanism. The Trust Fund's scope covers support not only for Syria but also for Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt and the most affected countries in the Western Balkans.

The Agreement establishing the EU Regional Trust Fund was signed and entered into force on December 15, 2014. On March 4, 2016, it was amended so that its scope could be expanded to also cover support in the Western Balkans to non-EU countries affected by the refugee crisis, in conformity with a European Commission decision of December 21, 2015.