Key messages
The humanitarian situation in Iraq continues to deteriorate and needs are skyrocketing: nearly a third of the total country’s population are expected to be in need of life-saving assistance by the end of the year.
The situation will dramatically worsen in the months ahead, with the intensification of the conflict. Iraq is also hosting almost 250 000 Syrian refugees.
With the recent escalation of the conflict, the protection of civilians is increasingly difficult, with limited access for affected populations to safer ground, and lifesaving assistance.
Humanitarian access in hard to reach and conflict affected areas are priorities in Iraq.
Responding to growing humanitarian needs, the European Commission has significantly increased its humanitarian assistance to Iraq, in comparison with 2014, allocating €66.7 million in total in 2015*. Commissioner Stylianides visited the country twice, in June and July 2015.
The EU's support focuses on the most vulnerable people affected by the crisis, on the basis of needs only. It assists internally displaced Iraqis and Syrian refugees in Iraq. It is also supporting Iraqi refugees in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey.
*EU institutions funding, excluding Member States' contributions