(TAP)- The European Union (EU) has decided to allow the immediate disbursement of €250 million in budgetary support for Tunisia, EU Ambassador in Tunis Patrice Bergamini Saturday announced in a Facebook post.

This will be in the shape of donations to help Tunisia contain COVID-19 and mitigate its socio-economic impact.

Bergamini said the decision was announced by European Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Oliver Varhelyi at a telephone conversation with Foreign Affairs Minister Noureddine Erray on Saturday.

The EU official also announced that funds earmarked for the Health Sector Support Programme in Tunisia ("Essaha Aziza") will be beefed up as they will increase from 20 million euros for 13 governorates to 60 million euros for all governorates.

"The EU stands with Tunisia to tackle COVID-19 together," the post further reads