The latest funds will be targeted to meet humanitarian needs in the three worst-affected countries: Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India, said the commission, the European Union's executive arm.

EU aid commissioner Louis Michel trumpeted the EU's role in helping the enormous global relief operation, coordinated by the UN after the December 26 killer tidal wave in the Indian Ocean.

"Almost a year after the tsunami, it is widely recognised that the relief effort succeeded in meeting immediate needs for food, shelter, healthcare, clean drinking water and sanitation," he said.

But he warned: "The transition from relief to reconstruction is a longer-term process ... it is clear that humanitarian aid is still essential to ease and prevent suffering, notably for people living in transitional camps."

The EU -- as distinct from its 25 EU member states' governments -- has given a total of 123 million euros since the tsunami, most of it channelled through its Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO).

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