The financial toll of Europe’s refugee crisis, the worst in the history of the European Union, could press the public and private sectors into new forms of partnership.
Migrants from war-torn Syria and other regions in turmoil continue to flood across borders into neighboring countries and into the heart of Europe. Meanwhile, the EU’s executive body is “scraping the barrel” for funding to address the crisis, as European Commission Vice President for Budget and Human Resources Kristalina Georgieva said in a recent meeting on the future of humanitarian finance.
Devex spoke with other top EU officials on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, including European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides, who suggested another path towards finding more resources. Engaging the private sector in humanitarian response, said Stylianides, is a “top priority.”