Brussels, 31 October 2019
The European Commission is mobilising €663 million in humanitarian aid to continue major projects under the EU Facility for Refugees in Turkey. €600 million will ensure the continuity of the EU's largest ever humanitarian programme - the Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN). The remaining funds will continue supporting projects in the areas of education and essential services such as healthcare.
Christos Stylianides, Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, said: “EU support has made a real impact for refugees hosted in Turkey. Thanks to EU support, around 1.7 million refugees can meet their basic needs, and more than half a million refugee children go to school. These results speak for themselves. I would like to thank our humanitarian partners on the ground for making EU assistance in Turkey a success story. The EU is committed to continue delivering on its commitments in line with the EU-Turkey statement.''
Through the continuation of the ESSN programme, the most vulnerable refugees in Turkey will continue to receive the monthly financial assistance through a special debit card. It helps refugees meet their basic needs such as food and rent, and at the same time integrate into the local economy and society. EU funding will also ensure more than half a million refugee children attend school regularly, and also help some 20,000 out of school children catch up on their schooling. Other support, such as access to healthcare and protection services, will also continue.
All EU humanitarian funding is strictly monitored, is delivered exclusively through our humanitarian partners and the beneficiaries of projects are known.
Background
The EU Facility for Refugees in Turkey was set up in 2015 in response to the European Council's call for significant additional funding to support Syrian refugees in Turkey. It has a total budget of €6 billion divided into two equal tranches of €3 billion each.
Out of the funds of €6 billion, over €2.6 billion has already been disbursed, over €4.2 billion contracted and over €5.8 billion allocated, with 95 projects already rolled out. Out of the €6 billion, €2.4 billion are allocated to humanitarian aid. EU humanitarian aid in Turkey focuses on supporting the most vulnerable refugees through projects in health, education, protection and meeting basic needs.
EU-funded projects provide essential livelihood support to around 1.7 million refugees, allow more than half a million refugee children to access education, build schools and hospitals, and provide refugees with health care and protection services.
In addition to humanitarian assistance, development projects under the EU Facility for Refugees in Turkey focuses on education, migration management, health, municipal infrastructure, and socio-economic support.