EU Grants €27 Million to Colombia, Zimbabwe

On Thursday, the European Commission pledged €15 million (US$20 million) to Zimbabwe and €12 million (US$16 million) to Colombia. In Zimbabwe, the new funds will aid displaced persons, those with HIV/AIDS and vulnerable children. More than 1 million children in the country are orphans, largely due to AIDS. The EU has frozen much of its long-term development aid to Zimbabwe as a protest against President Robert Mugabe's authoritarian rule. "The European Commission is committed to providing humanitarian aid to the most vulnerable Zimbabweans, regardless of the political situation there," said Louis Michel, commissioner for development and humanitarian aid. In Colombia, the money will help support people driven from their homes by violence.

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