Oliver Várhelyi, Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, commented: "The full mobilisation of the €6 billion 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”.
Janez Lenarčič, EU Commissioner for Crisis Management, added: "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.”
The announcement comes following the thirteen Steering Committee meeting of the EU Facility for Refugees in Turkey which took place in Brussels on 9 December. Chaired by the Commission, the Committee brought together representatives of EU Member States, European Parliament and Turkey. The Committee confirmed the full mobilisation of the €6 billion operational budget and gave a state of play of current implementation.
Implementation state of play
Total disbursements should reach €3 billion by the end of 2019, with a further increase to €4 billion envisaged by end-2020. Thanks to this support, 95 projects are currently up and running across Turkey benefitting more than 1.7 million refugees, including 500.000 refugee children who have access to education. A further 25 additional contracts are expected to be signed in the coming months. Facility projects will continue to be rolled out with the first generation of projects finishing in 2021 and the second in 2025, at the latest.
Background
The Facility is a key component of the EU-Turkey Statement of March 2016 and provides assistance to refugees and host communities in the areas of basic needs, education, health, socio-economic support, protection and municipal infrastructure.
The Facility provides a joint coordination mechanism, designed to ensure that the needs of refugees and host communities are addressed in a comprehensive and coordinated manner. Facility support seeks to improve conditions for refugees in Turkey as part of the EU's comprehensive approach to addressing the refugee crisis inside and outside the EU
