European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Monday that the EU's executive arm will support Turkey with one billion euros ($1.07 billion) for reconstruction following the earthquake. Von der Leyen's comments came during the launch of an international conference to rally support following the devastating earthquake that struck Turkey last month.
She noted that the earthquake claimed the lives of nearly 50,000 people in Turkey and neighboring Syria, marking the largest natural disaster to hit the region in years. Von der Leyen stated that "millions are currently displaced and living in tents as winter continues". She added, "Homes, schools, and hospitals need to be rebuilt according to the highest safety standards against earthquakes. Water and sewage networks and other basic infrastructure need to be repaired. Public services and businesses need capital to start anew."
The Commission will also allocate an additional 108 million euros for humanitarian aid and early recovery in Syria. There are no diplomatic relations between the EU and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad due to the war that erupted in the country in 2011.
The United Nations Development Program estimated the "total financial burden of the earthquake disaster" in Turkey to be around $103.6 billion, which equates to up to nine percent of the country's expected GDP in 2023.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, speaking via video at the conference in Brussels, indicated that the losses from the earthquake were $104 billion, adding that Turkey would rebuild 319,000 homes in the first year. He emphasized that "it is not possible for a single country to cope with a crisis of this magnitude alone... We will never forget the solidarity shown by all our friends... in these difficult days."
