The European Commission has called on the European Parliament and the European Council to allocate 700 million euros for humanitarian aid for refugees in 2016-2018, Commissioner Christos Stylianides in charge of Humanitarian Aid and Crisis said on Wednesday.

The initiative comes as the refugee crisis reaches an unprecedented scale with the need to provide immediate emergency support in several member states hosting large amounts of refugees on their territories, Mr. Stylianides said.
“With this proposal, we will be able to deliver emergency assistance for crises much faster than before, inside the European Union. Right now, there’s no doubt that this will be particularly needed to support refugees. No time can be lost in deploying all means possible to prevent humanitarian suffering within our own borders. Today’s proposal will make 700 million euros available to provide help where it is most needed. I now look to European governments and the European Parliament to quickly back the proposal,” he said.