BRUSSELS: The European Union has suspended its support for development projects in Myanmar to avoid providing financial assistance to the military who seized power last month, officials said on Thursday.

The 27-nation bloc informed a committee of the World Trade Organization on Thursday that it had put on hold all development cooperation that would support the military authorities, a Geneva-based trade official said.

The European Commission, the EU executive, confirmed it had put on hold the budgetary support, which has typically gone to schools, elections and rural development and is worth hundreds of millions of euros over several years.