A meeting of high-ranking EU officials will be held in Brussels on April 16 to discuss the next stage of the humanitarian program for Ukraine, and Ukrainian representatives are also invited there, Director for Neighborhood the Directorate General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO) at the European Commission Andreas Papaconstantinou said.

“In order to further strengthen aid effectiveness and coordination with Ukrainian and international partners and donors, I’m going to chair on the 16th of April, a senior officials meeting in Brussels. We have invited also the government and local NGOs from Ukraine to be there in Brussels to discuss the next phase of the humanitarian program. We will discuss where we’re going, we will listen, coordinate, and make the program even more effective,” Papaconstantinou said in an exclusive interview with the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

According to the representative of the European Commission, one of the main topics of the upcoming meeting of senior officials in mid-April will be stable financing, as well as how the EU is going to ensure that humanitarian funding continues for as long as needed.

He also added that providing assistance to frontline territories is one of the priorities of EU humanitarian assistance.

“We want to focus on those who are most vulnerable, especially in areas and oblasts close to the front line. The EU, through its humanitarian partners, has a strong presence in these areas. We also have humanitarian experts on the ground. And are essential not only to monitor the programs implemented by the partners, but also to co-shape the response and make the most effective use of the funding,” Papaconstantinou stressed.