European Union Doles Out More Tsunami Aid

The European Commission has announced plans for more aid to countries still struggling to recover from the effects of the Asian tsunami. The EU is releasing euros 350 million ($441.5 million) of community development funds for long-term projects in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

The announcement comes as the credit card company Visa issued a new report that showed spending on travel tourism to the affected countries has slumped, after showing signs of recovery in February and March.

The European Union is also considering imposing a levy on airline tickets to boost its development aid funds.

In the latest allocation of European Union funds for tsunami recovery, 208 million ($262.3 million) will support the Indonesian government´s Multi-Donor Trust Fund to repair communities´ infrastructures and services, restarting the livelihoods of affected people and enhancing the environmental sustainability of coastal areas. Money will also go to strengthen the capacity of local government in the Aceh region, one of the worst affected by the tsunami.

The European Union is also contributing 25 million euros (US$31.5 million) towards funding a tsunami coastal zone management facility and support for early warning systems in the Indian Ocean.