Facility for refugees in Turkey: member states agree details of additional funding

On 29 June 2018, the 28 EU member states agreed on how to finance an additional €3 billion for the EU Facility for Refugees in Turkey to support Syrian refugees.

Following the political agreement reached in the European Council, member states confirmed at the meeting of the Permanent Representatives Committee (Coreper) that €2 billion of this amount will be financed from the EU budget and the remaining €1 billion by contributions from the member states according to their share of the EU's GNI.

The agreement honours the commitment undertaken by the EU under the EU-Turkey statement of 18 May 2016 to provide a second instalment of €3 billion for the refugee facility before the €3 billion initially allocated has been fully used up. It allows the Commission to prepare concrete measures in order to make additional funds available for refugees.

"The facility for refugees is running successfully and has provided Syrian refugees in Turkey valuable help with essentials, such as health care and schooling. Today's agreement comes in time to ensure that our support for the different projects on the ground can continue without interruption, in line with our promise from 2016."

Marinela Petrova, deputy finance minister of Bulgaria

The facility has been providing assistance for refugees in Turkey in a number of fields, such as humanitarian aid, health care, education and socioeconomic support.

The agreement on the second tranche of funding will ensure that projects in important areas, such as the education of child refugees, can continue without interruption when the contracts under the first tranche come to an end.

Read the full press release on the website of the Council of the European Union.