The European Union has pledged just over 201 million euros (255 million dollars) in aid to flood-ravaged Pakistan, the bloc's executive said Monday. The announcement was made as the European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid, Kristalina Georgieva, was in Pakistan to witness the extent of the crisis, according to dpa. According to the latest figures from Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority, the floods have killed over 1,500 people, injured more than 2,000 and destroyed over 1.2 million houses. The largest share of the EU's aid - 70 million euros - was offered by the commission's humanitarian aid department (ECHO), the EU executive said. On top of that, 18 out of 27 EU states made contributions from their national budgets, with the most generous offer coming from Britain (66.7 million euros). Germany's offer came in next, with 25 million euros, followed by Sweden's (14.1 million euros) and Denmark's (9.2 million euros). France, whose President Nicolas Sarkozy pressed EU institutions to respond quickly to the emergency, was said to have provided just over 1 million euros. Among other large EU states, Italy offered 1.1 million euros, Spain 3.5 million euros and Poland 50,000 euros. The commission said that EU states also provided 6.7 million euros' worth of rescue equipment, such as tents and water pumps. Germany was the largest single donor, with an in-kind contribution valued at 3 million euros.
