The European Union (EU) approved the French program to use the new Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD), the European Commission said Thursday.
France, the first member state to have its FEAD program adopted, will receive 499 million euros (668 million U.S. dollars) in the period 2014-2020 to support the provision of food aid to those most in need in the country.
Partner organizations will continue to play a key role in the provision of assistance. They will be required to offer the beneficiaries accompanying measures such as guidance and support to help the most deprived to get out of poverty.
To avoid disruption in the help offered during the transition from the previous food distribution program -- the EU’s food distribution program for the Most Deprived People (MDP), to the new FEAD -- French authorities have used national funds to distribute food which would be retroactively reimbursed by FEAD.
Laszlo Andor, the European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, said FEAD would play a key role to help Europe’s most vulnerable citizens with food or other basic goods.
“I look forward to approving the programs of all the other member states so that the rest of the 3.8 billion euros (5.09 billion U.S. dollars) available can be put to the best use in our fight against poverty,” he said. (1 euro = 1.34 U.S. dollars)