The European Commission announced that it will pledge €100 million of humanitarian funding in Syria. The additional funds will cover emergency medical response, with both medical and psycho-social care to the wounded and the traumatized (in particular children); provision of food and safe water; provision of shelter, registration and thus protection of refugees.

The European Commission will allocate €100 million of humanitarian funding in Syria. The funding will be disbursed in 2013, and will be added to the €100 million already contracted for the crisis in 2011/2012, bringing the Commission's humanitarian funding for the crisis to €200 million. In December 2012, €30 million more from EU funds were also allocated to help people affected by the Syrian crisis.

According to the Commission, the additional funds will cover the top priority needs in Syria and neighbouring countries which are emergency medical response, with both medical and psycho-social care to the wounded and the traumatized (in particular children); provision of food and safe water; provision of shelter, registration and thus protection of refugees. Medicine will also be provided to limit drugs shortages and sanitation systems will be built or repaired to avoid waterborne diseases. The Commission also stressed that help will continue to be provided to the displaced and refugees - who often arrive destitute – as well as to their host communities, whose resources are exhausted.

The assistance will be channelled through the European Commission's humanitarian partners: UN agencies, the Red Cross/Red Crescent family and international non-governmental organisations. The consequences for the humanitarian situation in Syria and in the refugee camps in the neighbouring countries are most serious. The most recent working figures from the United Nations give an estimated number of 4 million people in need of assistance, including 2 million displaced in Syria, and over 700,000 refugees in neighbouring countries.