EU Agrees on EUR 3 Billion Refugee Facility for Turkey

Brussels, 25 Rabiul Akhir 1437/4 February 2016 (MINA) — The 28 EU member states agreed on Wednesday to finance EUR three billion refugee facility for Turkey.

This will allow the EU to deliver additional humanitarian assistance to refugees in Turkey’s host communities. The help is mainly focused on meeting immediate needs by providing food, health services and education, noted an EU statement, Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) quoted KUNA as reporting

“We are working continuously to stem the flow of migrants to Europe. The agreements between the EU and Turkey are a vital part of this. They aim at targeting human traffickers and launching projects which will help give those in and around the refugee camps the hope of a better future,” said Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Netherlands, which is currently holding the rotating EU Presidency.

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“Europe is following up on its decision to make EUR three billion available for the Turkey Refugee Facility and we will continue to work hard with our Turkish partners to turn this into concrete results,” he added.

Meanwhile, the European Commission First-Vice President Frans Timmermans welcomed the agreement saying “the money we are putting on the table will directly benefit Syrian refugees in Turkey, helping to improve their access to education and healthcare in particular.”

On his part, EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiation, Johannes Hahn, added that the “facility for Refugees in Turkey will go straight to the refugees, providing them with education, health and food. The improvement of living-conditions and the offering of a positive perspective will allow refugees to stay
closer to their homes.”

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Turkey is hosting more than 2.5 million migrants and refugees, mainly from Syria. (T/R07/R01)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)