EU to support the destruction of Syrian chemical stockpiles

EU News 63/2014

Brussels, 17 February 2014
IP/14/151

The European Union announced today financial support of €12 million to help destroy Syrian chemical stockpiles, by contributing to a Trust Fund established by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), recipient of the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize. The contribution was pledged by EU High Representative Catherine Ashton in December last year and become today a reality with the signing of the contract by EU Commissioner for Development Andris Piebalgs.

The use of chemical weapons in Syria in August 2013 was firmly condemned by the international community and a number of initiatives including the creation of such a Trust Fund were set out to respond to the challenge of destroying the chemical stockpiles, which started by the end of September last year.

The activities covered by this programme include the transport, treatment and disposal of the chemical materials and effluents outside Syria, and will be implemented jointly by the OPCW and the United Nations, in order to secure their safe and environmentally sound destruction.

Source and additional information:
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-14-151_en.htm

Andris Piebalgs, on the right, & Delegation of Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Date: 17/02/2014 Reference: P-025033/00-03 Location: Brussels - EC/Berlaymont (C)EU, 2014 URL

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