Significant progress has been achieved by the EU Facility for Refugees in Turkey, with a further €714 million in humanitarian assistance committed and €50 million more contracted in skills training.

Of the overall €3 billion budget for 2016-2017, €2.9 billion has been allocated to date, the European Commission reported on 28 June. Contracts have been signed for 48 projects worth over €1.6 billion, out of which €811 million has already been disbursed.

Most recent developments include the signature of a €50 million contract for socio-economic support which aims to improve the employability of Syrian refugees and host communities in Turkey through language and other skills training. In addition, the Commission published the Humanitarian Implementation Plan for Turkey for 2017 on 3 May. This sets out the priorities for another €714 million of funding for refugees which should be contracted by the end of 2017.

Under the humanitarian assistance strand, the Emergency Social Safety Net programme continues to further accelerate with more than 680,000 refugees supported through the programme so far. The EU aims to reach 1.3 million refugees by the end of the year.

EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy Johannes Hahn said: “The EU Facility for Refugees continues to make a difference in the daily lives of many refugees. The latest contract signature of €50 million gives Syrian refugees and host communities the opportunity to boost their skills and thus succeed on the labour market, including through Turkish language courses.”

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 refugees in Turkey. Its budget of €3 billion for 2016-2017 is made up of €1 billion from the EU budget, and €2 billion from the EU Member States.

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