The European Commission is allocating an extra €15 million* in humanitarian assistance to support the response to the Ebola outbreak affecting the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. The funding aims at supporting emergency operations in the affected areas as well as preparedness and prevention efforts.
Safeguarding public health remains the Commission’s absolute priority as diseases do not stop at borders and cooperation is essential.
Emergency aid for the region
Following the announcement of the outbreak by local authorities, a EU Humanitarian Air Bridge operation with UNICEF departing next week has been swiftly organised to transport nearly 100 tonnes of supplies to eastern DRC, including medicines, protective equipment, infection-control material, tents and operational equipment for frontline teams.
For 2026, the EU has allocated €101.9 million for emergency humanitarian support in the region.
Development of vaccines and treatments
This response builds on work that was already in place before the outbreak. The European Union support has helped identify the virus strain, strengthen Ebola tracking, and accelerate testing and sequencing with African partners.
In parallel, the European Union has invested €73.7 million in the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations to advance research for health emergencies, including on broadly protective filovirus vaccines, and €7.4 million to support clinical trial readiness for vaccines and treatments.
Commissioner for Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, said:
‘The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda requires a rapid, coordinated and sustained international response. The European Union is mobilising humanitarian assistance and working closely with national authorities, WHO, Africa CDC and humanitarian partners to support emergency operations, strengthen preparedness and help contain the outbreak. The EU remains committed to supporting affected communities and preventing further transmission of the virus.’
*This amount will be part of a request for additional reinforcement to be submitted to the budgetary authority later this year
