Andy McGuffie, EUD/EUSR spokesperson said:

“In relation to statements issued by the FBiH Government and the RS Government on flood recovery assistance over last weekend, and to avoid misunderstanding, the EUD/EUSR would like to clarify a number of matters of fact.

“At the Donors’ Conference for BiH and Serbia in July, 810 million euro was pledged specifically to BiH, made up of donations and loans.

“Of this, 42 million euro is the EU Flood Recovery Programme, a donation which is currently being implemented on the ground directly by UNDP, UNICEF and IOM to address some of the most urgent issues – such as reconstruction of schools and public buildings, support to livelihoods and housing reconstruction for the most vulnerable. One example is the opening of the ‘Majke Jugović’ kindergarten in Doboj last week. Further facilities will be re-opened in the coming weeks. The choice of locations is based on the information in the Recovery Needs Assessment, to which all levels of authority in BiH contributed. We keep the BiH authorities informed as to the work that is being done.

“The EUD/EUSR is also working on the future implementation in a second phase of a further 43 million Euro donation from the EU.

“For the remainder of 810 million euro, it is for the BiH authorities to agree on the implementation with individual donors. Therefore, it is not correct to say that all donor funds are implemented by any single organisation. The Recovery Needs Assessment remains available to guide donors as to the work that needs to be done.”

Note for media

A full list of the donations made to BiH and related documents can be seen at: http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/pdf/press_corner/floods/20140728_overview_of_pledges.pdf

The pledges list available at the link above reflects the Donors Conference’s pledges as of 16 July 2014. Accurate and updated information about the pledges can be found in the database managed by the BiH Ministry of Finance and Treasury and available at the following website www.donormapping.ba.

News articles relating to the EU Flood Recovery Programme can be seen at: www.europa.ba