EU increases aid pledge to Afghanistan and its neighbours to 1 billion euros

FILE PHOTO: An Afghan girl receives free bread distributed by the government, outside a bakery, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Kabul, Afghanistan May 3, 2020. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union will give an additional 700 million euros ($809.2 million) in emergency aid to Afghanistan and its neighbouring countries, the European Commission said ahead of Tuesday's Group of 20 Afghan summit.

The pledge takes the total commitment of new funding to 1 billion euros after the EU executive's earlier promise of 300 million euros to help to prevent basic services in Afghanistan from collapsing and food from running out.