ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES 
DE LA COMMISSION 
 
 
 
COLLECTION RELIEE DES 
DOCUMENTS "COM" 
 
 
 
 
COM (83) 252 
 
 
 
Vol. 1983/0 106 
  
 
Disclaimer  
Conformém ent au règlement (CEE, Euratom) n° 354/83 du Conseil du 1er février 1983 
concernant l'ouverture au public des archives historiques de la Communauté économique 
européenne et de la Communauté européenne de l'énergie atomique (JO L 43 du 15.2.1983, 
p. 1), tel que modifié par le règlement (CE, Euratom) n° 1700/2003 du 22 septembre 2003 
(JO L 243 du 27.9.2003, p. 1), ce dossier est ouvert au public. Le cas échéant, les documents 
classifiés présents dans ce dossier ont été déclassifiés conformément à l'article 5 dudit 
règlem ent. 
In accordance with Council Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No 354/83 of 1 February 1983 
concerning the opening to the public of the historical archives of the European Econom ic 
Communit y and the European Atom ic Energy Communit y (OJ L 43, 15.2.1983, p. 1), as 
amended by Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1700/2003 of 22 September 2003 (OJ L 243, 
27.9.2003, p. 1), t his file is open to the public. Where necessary, classified documents in this 
file have been declassified in conformity with Article 5 of the aforementioned regulation.  
In Übereinstimmung mit der Verordnung (EWG, Euratom) Nr. 354/83 des Rates vom  1. 
Februa r 1983 über die Freigabe der historischen Archive der Europäischen  
Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft und der Europäischen Atomgem einschaft (ABI. L 43 vom  15.2.1983,  
S. 1), geändert durch die Verordnung (EG, Euratom) Nr. 1700/2003 vom 22. Septem ber 2003  
(ABI. L 243 v om 27.9.2003, S. 1), ist diese Datei der Öffentlichkeit zugänglich. Soweit  
erforderlich, wurden die Verschlusssachen in dieser Datei in Übereinstimmung mit Artikel 5  
der genannten Verordnung freigegeben.  
COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM( 83)252 final 
Brussels, 6 May 1983
CONTINUATION OF HUMANITARIAN AID 1 A  POLES  
JUNE-DECEMBER 1983 INCLUSIVE
Commission communication to Council and  
European Parliament
COM(83)252 final

GO H $  ^
Continuation of humanitarian aid to Poles  
______June— December 1983 inclusive ______
Co
mmission communication to Council and  
European Parliament
1. The purpose of this communication is to secure agreement  
to grant a further tranche of aid for the Poles for the
period June-December 1983 inclusive.
It should be noted that aid to date has been provided in  
the following tranches:
. 2 mn Ecus, agreed 23.12.81  
. 8 mn Ecus, agreed 3-2.82  
. 7.5 mn Ecus, agreed 2.6.82  
. 9-5· mn Ecus, agreed 23.12.82
= 27.0 mn Ecus in all
Following the Budgeting Authority's endorsement of the 
December 1982 tranche of 9-5 mn, there are now no funds available  
from tranche III/B of special-price farm products originally  
approved for Poland, subsequently converted into emergency aid and  
transferrred from the EAGGF portion of the Budget to Budget heading  
950 (Emergency aid). This sum will be used up in May, and new  
sources of financing must therefore be found. It is desirable  
that the aid should be continued for the rest of the year in  
monthly tranches of 2 mn Ecus, making altogether 1*f mn Ecus from  
June to December inclusive.
2. The food and, in particular, health supply situation in  
Poland remains disquieting, though there has been a slight
improvement as regards food. The very sharp price rises have  
meant, however, that a great many people, especially the elderly  
and the families of those under arrest, in jail or out of work,  
cannot even afford rationed commodities.

2
As regards food supplies, meat, fats, cheese, poultry, coffee  
and fruit (with the exception of apples) are practically unobtainable,  
and cleansing products (particularly detergents) and washing powder  
are hard to find or prohibitively expensive. As regards health and  
medical supplies, the NGOs unanimously consider the situation exceedingly  
serious: the position of the hospitals, which are dependent 50-80% 
on Western deliveries for their equipment, has been further worsened  
by the growing shortage of medical and surgical necessities,  
cleansing products and medical apparatus.
Those hardest hit by the deteriorating health and food situation  
are the elderly and chronically sick, the families of persons under  
arrest, and children, among whom mortality is everywhere on the  
increase.
3· The Foreign Ministers at their Political Cooperation meeting on  
1 March 1983 were in favour of continuing Community humani­
tarian aid to the Poles, and noted with satisfaction that the  
matter was to be further discussed at Community level.
The European Parliament likewise remains in favour, as it  
stated in its resolution of September 1982 and has several times  
r^-emphasized since. It should be noted, incidentally, that  
the United States will be providing $^5 on worth of humanitarian  
aid in 1983.
4. On these grounds the Commission proposes to proceed urgently  
with raising the necessary funds through a Supplementary  
Budget. If necessary, to make sure that there is no interruption  
in the flow of aid, the required amounts, to a maximum of 2 mn Ecus  
per month, could temporarily be taken from another Budget heading,  
settlement to follow later after the Supplementary Budget was  
adopted.

3
The aid would be channelled through reliable distribution  
conduits, in Poland, principally the Church, without recourse to  
the .Polish authorities, and would be confined to relieving human  
-distress.