The Brussels-Capital Region government decided on Thursday to redirect part of the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) reserved for Brussels within the sphere of financial instruments, so as to allow the Médecins du Monde organisation to access a 7.4 million-euro budget. This sum is intended to finance a tracking system for physical health, mental health and social support for refugees.
The initial candidate list able to benefit from the ERDF's funds had not included Médecins du Monde projects. Such projects had not been comprised in the selection of 2020 programme, owing essentially to the strict operational criteria of the programme, which were dictated well before the refugee crisis started two years ago.
However, this refusal happened after the appeal was launched last October by the European Union for its member states, so that part of the ERDF funds could be used to implement projects to manage the refugee crisis throughout the European Union.
Responding, despite this, to the urgent appeal of the European Union, the Vervoort government decided on Thursday to reallocate part of the total sum allocated to financial instruments to actual Médecins du Monde projects.
The Brussels-Capital Region Minister-President says that this sum had originally amounted to 18.7 million euros. After getting the agreement of the European Commissioner, Corina Cretu, M. Vervoort proposed to the regional government that it should put 7.4 million euros of the ERDF funds specifically towards Médecins du Monde initiatives.
The objective pursued by the implementation of financial instruments will be guaranteed through potential means reallocations, which will have occurred further to the progress of all ERDF programme projects, he added.
(Source: Belga)
