7 billion euros for reconstruction after the earthquake in Turkey: the European Union and other donors are participating

Erdoğan and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) estimated the damage from the earthquake at around $104 billion, while the European Commission offered $108 million in humanitarian aid to Syria. Russia and Syria were not invited to the donor conference organized by the European Union.

At a conference held under the auspices of the EU, donors pledged 7 billion euros to rebuild Turkey after last month's devastating earthquakes, although Ankara estimates the cost at ten times that amount. The Feb. 6 earthquakes were the worst natural disaster ever to hit Turkey, killing more than 56,000 people in Turkey and neighboring Syria. The European Union and EU-member Sweden-organized a conference to rally support.

"The total pledges today amount to €7 billion."- said Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. He added that the money would help people whose lives were shattered in seconds and minutes and give hope for restoring dignity and daily life.

The donations include 1 billion euros from the EU executive commission, half of which will be channeled through the European Investment Bank (EIB), which has hardly financed Turkey in recent years.

The Commission will also allocate an additional 108 million euros for humanitarian aid and early recovery in Syria, where the EU does not maintain diplomatic relations with President Bashar al-Assad because of the war that began in 2011.

The United Nations Development Program estimated the "total financial burden of the disaster" for Turkey at about $103.6 billion, which is 9% of the country's projected GDP for 2023. It also estimated that about 3.3 million people have been displaced from their homes and most of them are now living in temporary shelters. In addition, about 650,000 homes need to be rebuilt.

President Tayyip Erdogan, speaking via video link at a conference in Brussels, estimated the cost of the quake at $104 billion and said Turkey would build 319,000 homes in the first year."It is impossible for one nation to handle a crisis of this magnitude on its own."- He said."We will never forget the solidarity that all our friends have shown in these difficult days."

The EU has long accused Erdogan of human rights abuses, and relations between the bloc and Turkey have been weakened by Ankara's harsh response to protests after the 2016 coup attempt. Moreover, Turkey blocked Sweden's attempt to join NATO after Russia's war with Ukraine.

However, the EU stated that it has mobilized several million euros in immediate aid and sent more than 1,500 rescuers to assist in the first hours and days after the earthquake in Turkey, which is also hosting several million refugees from the war in Syria.

EU representatives stated that around 400 international actors - countries, regional organizations, and non-governmental groups - were invited to the donor conference. Syrian and Russian authorities were not invited.

The bloc has imposed sanctions on Damascus and stated that it will only finance humanitarian aid and early recovery, but not large-scale reconstruction, until a political dialogue begins between Assad and his opponents.

The UN Development Program estimated the costs of recovery in Syria at $14.8 billion, stating that the earthquake has worsened an already dire situation caused by the prolonged war.“Today, nine out of ten people in Syria live below the poverty line.”- said Achim Steiner from UNDP.