BRUSSELS, Oct. 24 (UPI) -- The European Union committed one billion euros ($1.26 billion) to combat the spread of the Ebola virus Friday.
The agreement came after Christos Stylianides of Cyprus was appointed Thursday as the coordinator of the 28-nation bloc's humanitarian aid programs. Stylianides, a physician, will oversee disbursement of the Ebola fund. The appointment comes after U.S. President Barack Obama named Ron Klain as the U.S. "Ebola czar," in charge of planning government agencies' response to the disease.
The EU funding is an upgrade from its plan to dedicate 600 million euros ($759 million) to the cause, and was decided upon at the EU summit in Brussels. The announcement, by EU Council President Herman Van Rompuy, comes as two new Ebola cases, in Mali and in New York City, were revealed, and a caution from the United Nations' World Food Program that the Ebola outbreak could lead to a food crisis in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
Over 13,000 tons of food was delivered to 778,000 people in the three countries, most severely affected by the outbreak, but donors provided only half the funding the delivery required.
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European Union pledges $1.26 billion to fight Ebola
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TIME World climate change European Union Sets Plan to Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions European heads of state and government (from back left) Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Loefven, Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, Slovenian Prime Minister Miro Cerar, Portuguese Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho and German Chancellor Angela Merkel (from front left) European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev, French President Francois Hollande, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso talk before a family photo during a European Union summit at the EU headquarters in Brussels on Oct 23, 2014. JOHN THYSAFP/Getty Images Europe sets climate change goals to be met by 2030
Leaders in Europe have agreed that 28 nations will cut greenhouse gas emissions to at least 40% below 1990 levels by 2030. The deal comes a year ahead of international climate negotiations next year and is designed to set an example for the rest of the world.
The European Union finalized the deal after hours of debate among leaders. They have also vowed that renewable energy will meet at least 27 percent of European countries needs and that energy efficiency will increase by a minimum of 27% in the next 16 years.
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European Union Sets Plan to Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions