Upon his return from his visit to Iraq on 19 February, Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides announced that the EU would support Iraq with additional €50 million. Split between €30 million in humanitarian assistance and €20 million in development cooperation, the aid would contribute to the reconstruction of the country’s cultural heritage, as well as the creation of jobs and opportunities for vulnerable youth. Stylianides was backed by Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica who said that “The EU is committed to the reconstruction of Iraq. With today’s new support, we will help to restore the rich cultural heritage of Mosul and Basrah, and at the same time create much needed jobs and opportunities.” It is an announcement for which the Government of Iraq expressed its gratitude through the government’s twitter account and said that they are “working with European partners and others to counter violent extremism, encourage investment and support Iraq’s efforts.” EU’s total humanitarian assistance to Iraq since the beginning of the crisis in 2015 sums up to €420 million and to €309 million for development cooperation.