ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The President of the European Investment Bank, Werner Hoyer, praised the hospitality of the people of the Kurdistan Region in receiving about two million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and refugees, stating the bank could not yet help in alleviating the burden as the European Union has no mandate in Iraq.

“I am fully aware of this [reality], and I am fully aware of the big burden that is for the Kurdish population, and we appreciate the hospitality of the Kurdish people of vis-a-vis Syrian refugees,” Hoyer said during an interview with Kurdistan 24 in Brussels.

He acknowledged the large financial problem in supporting displaced persons, adding the bank is interested in helping the Kurdistan Region as it accommodates thousands of families.

“However, so far, we do not have a mandate for Iraq. We need a mandate from the European Union for every country in which we are expected to be active. So in northern Iraq, so far, we cannot operate in Kurdistan. We cannot operate [there] yet,” the European official added.

The Kurdistan Region over the past few years has been a safe haven for over 2 million IDPs and refugees, with most of them fleeing from the Islamic State (IS) in different parts of Iraq.

Although Iraq declared victory over the jihadist group, many IDPs residing in the Kurdish semi-autonomous region refuse to return home due to security concerns and a lack of basic services in their areas.

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A general view of Hassan Sham camp in the outskirt of Erbil from the sky. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)
Kurdistan Iraq EU European Investment Bank Refugees IDPs
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The President of the European Investment Bank, Werner Hoyer, praised the hospitality of the people of the Kurdistan Region in receiving about two million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and refugees, stating the bank could not yet help in alleviating the burden as the European Union has no mandate in Iraq.

“I am fully aware of this [reality], and I am fully aware of the big burden that is for the Kurdish population, and we appreciate the hospitality of the Kurdish people of vis-a-vis Syrian refugees,” Hoyer said during an interview with Kurdistan 24 in Brussels.

He acknowledged the large financial problem in supporting displaced persons, adding the bank is interested in helping the Kurdistan Region as it accommodates thousands of families.

“However, so far, we do not have a mandate for Iraq. We need a mandate from the European Union for every country in which we are expected to be active. So in northern Iraq, so far, we cannot operate in Kurdistan. We cannot operate [there] yet,” the European official added.

The Kurdistan Region over the past few years has been a safe haven for over 2 million IDPs and refugees, with most of them fleeing from the Islamic State (IS) in different parts of Iraq.

Although Iraq declared victory over the jihadist group, many IDPs residing in the Kurdish semi-autonomous region refuse to return home due to security concerns and a lack of basic services in their areas.


After a decision by the European foreign ministers to assist the Kurdistan Region, Hoyer said he hopes “they accept the mandate for the European Investment Bank [for its assistance] to be extended to Kurdistan so we can be helpful,” noting he is aware of the toll it has taken on the country’s finances.

The EU official mentioned that the bank is providing aid to many regional countries for Syrian refugees, including Lebanon, Turkey, and Jordan.

“We must help them to carry that burden. Since we do not have the mandate, [in the Kurdistan Region], we cannot do [so]. But to be honest, we would like to do [something] because we know what it means for the people,” Hoyer stated.

Currently, the Kurdistan Region is home for 1.4 million IDPs and refugees. According to the Region’s Joint Coordination Crisis Center (JCC), thousands of IDPs who previously moved back to their liberated hometowns have now started to return to camps in the Kurdistan Region.

Officials from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) have repeatedly extended calls to the international community to provide more assistance to the IDPs and refugees residing in the region as the Kurdish government struggles to fulfill the basic needs of the displaced people with limited contributions from NGOs.

Editing by Nadia Riva

(Barzan Hassan conducted the interview)