Commission proposes to increase EU aid under the EU school scheme to the countries catering for displaced Ukrainian children

Today, the European Commission published a regulation allowing for an internal redistribution of the EU aid under the EU school scheme to cater for displaced Ukrainian children enrolled in EU schools. The EU school scheme aims at promoting healthy eating and balanced diets through the distribution of fruit, vegetables and milk products to schoolchildren, while also proposing educational programmes on agriculture and good nutrition. For 2020-2021, around 15 million schoolchildren benefited from it in the EU.  The total EU budget for the scheme amounts to €220.8 million per school year, consisting of up to €130.6 million for fruit and vegetables and up to €90.1 million for milk. This budget is broken down into national allocations fixed by the Commission based on the Member States’ requests. Today’s regulation invites Member States to review their requests for EU aid for the next school year, running from 1 August 2022 to 31 July 2023, in the light of the unprecedented situation calling for solidarity to ease the burden on those in the frontline for action to cater for the displaced Ukrainian children. Member States can submit by 15 June the additional amount requested or the amount of their allocation not requested. The Commission will decide by 15 July 2022 on the new allocations for the next school year in light of the notifications received, by redirecting the unused amounts to the countries welcoming the highest number of Ukrainian children. More information about the EU school scheme is available online.