The EU has announced that the full operational budget for its Facility for Refugees in Turkey has now been wholly mobilised.
Turkey is currently home to more than four million refugees, around 3.6 million of whom have fled Syria. The 13th Steering Committee meeting for the EU Facility for Refugees in Turkey reported this week that, of the funding pledged for refugee support through the facility, €4.3bn has now been contracted and a further €2.7bn has been disbursed. The facility’s total disbursements are expected to reach €3bn by the end of 2019, rising to €4bn by the end of 2020.
The EU’s Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Oliver Várhelyi said: “The full mobilisation of the…Facility for Refugees in Turkey confirms the European Union’s commitment to deliver on its promises. We will continue our support to refugees and host communities in Turkey in various areas that are of key importance to their quality of life, the future of their children and their integration at large.”
Funding allocated through the Facility for Refugees in Turkey has enabled the establishment of 95 projects throughout the country, supporting more than 1.7 million refugees; including providing education for 500,000 children. The facility acts as a joint co-ordination mechanism, providing support to refugees and host communities in the form of basic necessities, healthcare, education, socioeconomic support and infrastructure maintenance. The first round of projects operating under the facility are expected to be completed by 2021, with the second round projected for completion by 2025; an additional 25 contracts are set to be signed within the next few months.
Janez Lenarčič, Commissioner for Crisis Management, said: “Supporting refugees in Turkey is a priority for the EU. Thanks to EU’s support, more than 1.7 million vulnerable refugees cover their basic needs, such as rent and medicine, and more than half a million refugee children go to school. EU continues to deliver on its promise to refugees and Turkey.”
