The European Commission has granted a €4 million top-up to the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) operational programme in Czechia. It will support people most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic as well as people fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

This support is adapted to the COVID-19 crisis aftermath and to the emerging needs resulting from the war in Ukraine.

Concretely the funds will support:

• people impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, for instance through food banks and organisations working with homeless people;
• people fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine, for instance through food and basic material assistance. In particular, the additional funding will support families in need with diapers, baby food and baby milk powder. In addition, more pupils – including children who have fled the war in Ukraine – will receive hot meals in schools.

Background

REACT-EU is part of NextGenerationEU and provides €50.6 billion additional funding (in current prices) over the course of 2021 and 2022 to the 2014-2020 cohesion policy programmes.

Member States can already programme, or re-programme, parts of the 2022 envelope of €10 billion of REACT-EU to support projects to assist people fleeing the war in Ukraine, in line with the overall aim of post-pandemic recovery.