The European Union on Thursday announced the finalizing contracting process of 6 billion euros (TL 56.7 billion, $7.3 billion) in aid for migrants hosted by Turkey, focused on nearly 4 million Syrian migrants who fled the war in their home country for safe shelter in Turkey after 2011.
"The EU Delegation to Turkey signs the final eight contracts under the Facility for Refugees in Turkey (FRIT) this week. Under the contracts, the EU provides 780 million euros in support to refugees in terms of basic needs, health care, protection, municipal infrastructure and vocational and technical education and training, employment and support to private sector, SMEs and entrepreneurship," said the EU Delegation to Turkey in a statement.
In March 2016, Ankara and Brussels signed an agreement to reduce the number of migrants taking the dangerous Aegean Sea route to Europe and to find a solution for the influx of migrants heading to EU countries.
According to the deal, Turkey was promised a total of 6 billion euros in financial aid, which was initially designed to be given to the country in two stages and to be used by the Turkish government to finance projects for Syrian migrants. Visa freedom for Turkish citizens was also a perk of the agreement. In addition, the customs union between Turkey and the EU was to be updated.
In exchange for these promises, Turkey took responsibility for discouraging migration through the Aegean Sea by taking stricter measures against human traffickers and improving the conditions of Syrian migrants living in Turkey. Despite significant developments controlling migration traffic, the EU has not fully delivered on its commitments stated in the deal.
For health care services, the EU is allocating 300 million euros to support the Migrant Health Services in Turkey program and Strengthening Health Care Infrastructure for All program.
The Turkish Family, Labor and Social Services Ministry will also implement two projects "to improve the living conditions of the most vulnerable refugees and access of these vulnerable persons, and those from host communities, to protective social services."
A social assistance project will provide 480,000 migrants with cash payments, and the EU is allocating 245 million euros for assistance.
Together with French development agency AFD, the EU is allocating 59 million euros for the improvement of municipal infrastructures focusing on the "construction or the rehabilitation of water, wastewater and solid waste systems."
The EU is allocating 156 million euros in total for development projects under the contracts finalized today.
With an expected budget of 75 million euros, German state development bank KfW "aims to support the refugee and host community adolescents with its Economic and Social Cohesion through Vocational Education Training II project," said the statement, plus 75 million euros to support Syrian and Turkish small- and medium-sized enterprises
Some 6.13 million euros will also go to support the creation of new employment opportunities for Syrians under temporary protection and local host communities, the statement said.
Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut, head of the EU Delegation to Turkey, said of the finalization: "I am happy to announce that we put an important milestone behind us and now focus on making sure that the refugees and host communities will benefit from our projects."
Commending Turkey for hosting over 4 million migrants – more than any other country in the world – he added, "The EU will also be prepared to continue providing financial assistance to Syrian refugees and host communities in Turkey."
Meyer-Landrut also held an online news conference to mark the contract completion with Turkish officials, including Deputy Family, Labor and Social Services Minister Adnan Ertem, Deputy Health Minister Sabahattin Aydın and Halik Afsara, chief coordinator of the FRIT Office in Turkey.
"The geographical position of Turkey makes us either a transit or a host country for many refugees and it continues to be so," Ertem said at the news conference.
"Hosting them under humanitarian conditions is crucial for the continuation of these funds and this assistance," he added.
Ertem said that education and health care services for migrants are crucial.
He added that the Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay) will be Turkey's main partner in the project.