Explanatory Memorandum to COM(2020)162 - Fourth Annual Report on the Facility for Refugees in Turkey

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dossier COM(2020)162 - Fourth Annual Report on the Facility for Refugees in Turkey.
source COM(2020)162 EN
date 30-04-2020
EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Contents

1.

Brussels, 30.4.2020


COM(2020) 162 final

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL

Fourth Annual Report on the Facility for Refugees in Turkey


Table of Contents

2.

Table of Contents


3.

1. Introduction


4.

1.1. Turkey and the refugee crisis


5.

1.2. The EU response to the crisis and the establishment of the Facility


6.

2. The functioning of the Facility


7.

3. Financial capacity, duration and nature of funding


8.

4. Programming


9.

5. Implementation of the Facility


6. Monitoring & evaluation

10.

7. Audit


11.

8. Communication and visibility


12.

9. Conclusion and next steps



1.Introduction

In accordance with Article 8 (1) of the Commission Decision of 24 November 2015 1 on the coordination of the actions of the Union and of the Member States through a coordination mechanism ("the Decision"), the Commission shall keep the European Parliament and the Council regularly informed about the implementation of the Facility for Refugees in Turkey (hereinafter the Facility). Article 8 (2) of the Decision provides that the Commission shall report annually to the European Parliament and to the Council on the implementation of the Facility. The first Annual Report on the Facility was published in March 2017 2 . It described the functioning of the Facility, the first actions undertaken in view of its implementation, monitoring, the evaluation system, as well as related communication activities. The second and third report were published in March 2018 3 and April 2019 respectively 4 .

The cut-off date for this fourth report is end-February 2020. It therefore does not cover the developments that occurred in March 2020, which will be reported on in next year’s report.

1.1.Turkey and the refugee crisis

Due to its geographic position, Turkey is a prominent reception and transit country for refugees and migrants. As a result of an unprecedented number of people arriving in Turkey, mainly due to the conflicts in Syria and Iraq, the country has been hosting around 4 million refugees, the highest number in the world. This includes 3.6 million registered Syrian refugees 5 , and 370 000 registered refugees and asylum seekers mainly from Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and Somalia 6 7 . While Turkey continues to make commendable efforts in receiving, supporting and hosting high numbers of refugees and migrants, these numbers have had a significant impact on the host communities. The protracted displacement of Syrian refugees in Turkey is posing challenges on social cohesion between refugees, migrants and host communities.

Turkey continues to make significant efforts in hosting and addressing the needs of almost four million refugees. Turkey reiterated its commitment to the implementation of the EU-Turkey Statement of March 2016 8 and played a key role in ensuring effective management of migratory flows along the Eastern Mediterranean route. Although there was an increase in irregular migration from Turkey in 2019, the Statement continued to deliver concrete results in reducing irregular and dangerous crossings and in saving lives in the Aegean Sea.

1.2.The EU response to the crisis and the establishment of the Facility

In 2015, the European Union and its Member States decided to step up their political and financial engagement to support Turkey in its efforts to host refugees. In answer to the call from EU Member States for significant additional funding to support refugees in Turkey, the Commission established the Facility for Refugees in Turkey by means of the Commission Decision of 24 November 2015, amended on 10 February 2016 9 , and again on 14 March and 24 July 2018. The Facility is a mechanism to coordinate the mobilisation of resources made available under both the EU budget and additional contributions from Member States integrated into the EU budget as external assigned revenues. Member States committed politically to provide national contributions in the framework of the Common Understanding between EU Member States and the European Commission, which was adopted by the representatives of the governments of the Member States on 3 February 2016, and updated on the occasion of the agreement on the second tranche of the Facility. 10 The Common Understanding also established a conditionality framework. For the first tranche of the Facility (2016-2017) a total of EUR 3 billion was allocated. The EUR 3 billion was made available in addition to EUR 345 million 11 already allocated by the Commission to Turkey in response to the Syrian refugee crisis before the start of the Facility and was additional to Member States' bilateral aid 12 . An additional EUR 3 billion was made available for the second tranche of the Facility (2018-2019) taking the Facility total to EUR 6 billion. The Facility became operational on 17 February 2016 with the first meeting of the Facility Steering Committee. Following this meeting, the Commission moved rapidly to contract the first projects under the Facility.

On 18 March 2016, the Heads of State and Government of the European Union and Turkey reconfirmed their commitment to the implementation of their Joint Action Plan and agreed further measures aimed at deepening Turkey-EU relations and addressing the migration crisis 13 . Turkey and the European Union recognised that further, swift and determined efforts were needed. More specifically, the EU-Turkey Statement of 18 March 2016 (hereafter ‘the Statement’) called inter alia for putting an end to the irregular migration from Turkey to the EU by breaking the business model of the smugglers and offering migrants an alternative to putting their lives at risk; and for the speeding up of the implementation of the Facility.

The implementation of the Statement continued to play a key role in the course of 2019 in ensuring that migration challenges were addressed effectively and jointly by the EU and Turkey. Although there was an increase in irregular migration from Turkey in 2019, the Statement continued to deliver concrete results in reducing irregular and dangerous crossings and in saving lives in the Aegean Sea.

The total number of arrivals from Turkey to the EU in 2019 was 83 333, compared to 56 560 arrivals recorded in 2018 (47% increase). The large majority of arrivals were recorded in Greece. 73 626 people in total arrived by sea and by land to Greece in 2019, 54% more than 2018 (47 915). Arrivals by land in 2019 (13 456) compared to 2018 have decreased by 15% but arrivals by sea (60 151) increased by 87%. However, the overall figure for 2019 of irregular migration on the Eastern Mediterranean Route remains significantly lower than the number of irregular migrants crossing this route in 2015 (885 386). 14

Resettlements from Turkey to the EU under the one-for-one arrangement 15 foreseen in the Statement continued. The total number of resettled persons under the EU-Turkey Statement since 4 April 2016 (as of December 2019) stands at 25 560 (of which 7 020 in the year 2019), while 1 995 migrants have been returned to Turkey under the EU-Turkey Statement (of which 189 in 2019) and 601 under the Greece-Turkey bilateral protocol. The Voluntary Humanitarian Admissions Scheme is a further simplified resettlement scheme envisaged under the EU-Turkey Statement. The Standard Operating Procedures for the scheme were endorsed by both Turkey and the EU Member States in 2017. According to the EU-Turkey Statement, the scheme will be activated once irregular crossings between Turkey and the EU end or at least have been substantially and sustainably reduced. The Commission has continuously encouraged Member States to activate the Voluntary Humanitarian Admission Scheme.

2.The functioning of the Facility

The Facility is a coordination mechanism that allows for the swift, effective and efficient mobilisation of EU assistance to refugees in Turkey. The Facility ensures the optimal mobilisation of existing EU financing instruments, as humanitarian and/or development assistance, to address the needs of refugees and host communities in a comprehensive and coordinated manner 16 .

The Steering Committee of the Facility provides strategic guidance on the priorities, the type of actions to be supported, the amounts to be allocated and the financing instruments to be mobilised - and when appropriate, on the conditions relating to the implementation of Turkey’s commitments under the EU-Turkey Joint Action Plan of 29 November 2015 17 (hereafter the ‘Joint Action Plan’). In 2019, the fourth year of implementation of the Facility, two Steering Committee meetings took place, on 17 May and 9 December.

The key principles guiding the Facility's implementation are speed, efficiency and effectiveness, while ensuring sound financial management. Sustainability of Facility interventions and co-ownership by the Turkish authorities are also important. The identification of priority areas for assistance is based on a comprehensive and independent needs assessment 18 , paying particular attention to vulnerable groups. The needs assessment was updated in 2018 19 .

The Facility coordinates financing from the following external financing instruments 20 : humanitarian aid 21 , the European Neighbourhood Instrument 22 , the Development Cooperation Instrument 23 , the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) 24 and the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace 25 . Measures financed by the Union's budget are implemented in accordance with its financial rules and regulations applicable to both direct and indirect management.

Implementation of assistance is conditional upon strict compliance of Turkey with the undertakings of the Joint Action Plan and the Statement.

3.Financial capacity, duration and nature of funding

The total budget coordinated by the Facility is EUR 6 billion, mobilised in two tranches. Projects under the first tranche run until mid-2021 at the latest and under the second tranche until mid-2025 at the latest (most projects will finish earlier). All operational funds have been committed under both tranches.

The first tranche amounted to EUR 3 billion, from which EUR 1 billion was mobilised from the EU budget and EUR 2 billion from the Member States 26 . Likewise, the second tranche amounted to EUR 3 billion, from which the EU budget provided EUR 2 billion and the Member States EUR 1 billion 27 .

As concerns EU budget resources, of the EUR 1 billion from the EU budget for 2016-2017, EUR 250 million was mobilised in 2016 and EUR 750 million in 2017. Of the EUR 2 billion from the EU budget for 2018-2019, EUR 550 million was mobilised in 2018, with the balance mobilised in 2019.

As for Member States’ contributions, for the first tranche, Member States contributed EUR 677 million to the Facility in 2016, EUR 847 million in 2017, EUR 396 million in 2018 and EUR 80 million in 2019. For the second tranche, Member States contributed EUR 68 million in 2018, EUR 202 million in 2019, with the remaining payments planned until 2023. Member States' contributions are made directly to the EU Budget in the form of external assigned revenue pursuant to Article 21(2)(a)(ii) of the Financial Regulation and assigned to the budget lines of the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance and of the Humanitarian Aid.

A satisfactory match between the rate of Member States' payments of their contributions into the Facility and the rate of disbursements financed by those contributions from the Facility continues.

4. Programming

The updated needs assessment 28 report identified the priority needs and remaining gaps in the refugee response and provided a valuable guide for the programming of the second tranche of the Facility. It concluded that protection, basic needs and livelihoods, health, education and municipal infrastructure continue to be key focus areas.

The Updated Strategic Concept Note 29 set out to provide a strategic framework for the programming and implementation of the second tranche of the Facility, with a special focus on inclusion and self-reliance as main objectives. The note confirmed the need for close cooperation between government, development and humanitarian instruments to identify more sustainable and durable solutions in the context of a protracted crisis and beyond the life-span of the Facility, and the disbursement of EUR 6 billion. This implies a strategic shift from humanitarian to development assistance under the Facility. Particular attention is given to the provision of sustainable socio-economic support and livelihood opportunities, and strengthening the capacity of host communities to accommodate refugees while supporting social cohesion. The Turkish authorities and the Commission would work to ensure the sustainability of the Facility’s projects, after the Facility has come to an end. Moreover, the Turkish national system would need to be prepared to take over the implementation of Facility assistance to ensure sustainable solutions and equitable access to rights and services.

The programming of the second tranche aimed to reflect the recommendations of the Special Report on the Facility of the European Court of Auditors 30 , issued in November 2018 (see also under Audit below). The Court put particular emphasis on the need for a joint strategy to mobilise the humanitarian and development strands of the Facility, to anticipate the transition from Facility funding to the national authorities and to ensure the sustainability of Facility achievements beyond the lifespan of the Facility.

Following the support received from the Steering Committee in May 2019 and the positive opinion received at the IPA Management Committee of July, the Commission adopted a Special Measure on health, protection, socio-economic support and municipal infrastructure for an overall amount of EUR 1.41 billion 31 funded under the development strand of the Facility. This allowed the Commission to start negotiations on a number of actions to be financed under the second tranche (see description per priority area below). It complemented the Special Measure on education, which was adopted by the Commission in July 2018 and was amended in December 2018, for a total amount of EUR 500 million 32 , also under the development strand of the Facility.

In October 2019, the IPA Management Committee gave a positive opinion to a Support Measure under the Facility to cover the continuation of interventions related to monitoring and evaluation, audit and communication. The Measure was formally adopted in November 2019 and amounted to EUR 11.34 million. It should provide for the continuation of activities started under the Support Measure funded under the first tranche, to cover also the projects planned and implemented under the second tranche.

Under the humanitarian strand of the Facility, the 2018 Humanitarian Implementation Plan (HIP) of EUR 50 million was fully committed and contracted through ten projects covering actions on health and protection. The balance of the humanitarian envelope was committed through the 2019 HIP, which accounts for EUR 991.88 million 33 and EUR 972 million has already been contracted, including the extension of the current Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN 2) and the signing of a new contract for ESSN 3, for which implementation should start in April 2020. The remaining amount of EUR 19.50 million was earmarked as buffer capacity for possible funding of responses to the influx of new refugees from Syria. Since the buffer was not used in 2019, this amount should be contracted in the first months of 2020. This should complete the programming exercise for the second tranche.

As of 31 December 2019, the Commission has allocated the full operational envelope of the Facility; out of a total of EUR 6 billion, EUR 4.7 billion has been contracted, out of which EUR 3.2 billion has been disbursed.

5.Implementation of the Facility

The Facility is implemented as humanitarian and development assistance. Under the first tranche roughly EUR 1.4 billion and EUR 1.6 billion were allocated to the respective strands. Given the protracted nature of the Syria crisis, interventions under the second tranche increasingly focus on socio-economic support activities and the creation of livelihood opportunities. Under the second tranche, EUR 1.04 billion has been allocated to humanitarian assistance, and EUR 1.9 billion to development assistance.

For the Facility overall, the breakdown of humanitarian and development assistance is as follows:


Full details can be obtained from the online projects table 34 .

It is important to note that assistance provided within the framework of the Facility is project-based. Disbursements depend very much on progress in contracting and the implementation of Facility interventions.

Particular attention is paid to non-Syrian refugees and asylum seekers. Facility interventions always aim to involve the local communities hosting refugees.

Humanitarian assistance supports the most vulnerable refugees through the provision of predictable and dignified support addressing basic needs and protection. It also addresses gaps in service provision through specialised agencies and partners in health and education in emergencies. EU humanitarian aid is guided by the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid of 2007 35 , which stipulates that the EU as a humanitarian actor adheres to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, as set out in Article 214 of the TFEU and in the Humanitarian Aid Regulation (No. 1257/96) 36 , 37 .

Under the humanitarian strand of the Facility, a total of 64 projects have been implemented through 19 partners under both the first and the second tranche of the Facility. These projects aim to cover the response to basic needs, protection, education, and health for the most vulnerable refugees in Turkey. All first tranche contracts have been completed, except for five projects ending in 2020. Under the first tranche around EUR 1.4 billion was allocated and contracted in humanitarian assistance and EUR 1.3 billion was disbursed, while for the second tranche, EUR 1.022 billion has been contracted and EUR 590 million was disbursed as of 31 December 2019.

Development assistance supports the longer-term needs in the fields of health, education and socio-economic development of refugees, notably in terms of access to public services and livelihood opportunities, and municipal infrastructure. It also focuses on vulnerable groups and includes a gender dimension in its interventions, e.g. protection of women and girls against sexual and gender based violence and improving access to sexual and reproductive health care.

Under the development strand of the Facility, the implementation of 26 projects contracted under the first tranche continues to show good progress. Of these projects, 15 are implemented under the EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis (EUTF) for a total of EUR 293 million, in addition to the allocation managed directly through the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance 38 .

Disbursements to implementing partners have reached EUR 1.59 billion out of a total of EUR 1.6 billion allocated to development assistance under the first tranche 39 . Under the second tranche of the Facility, more than EUR 700 million has been contracted, and EUR 165 million already disbursed.

Progress per priority area in the programming and implementation of assistance financed under both tranches of the Facility is as follows:

13.

Education


Under the humanitarian strand of the Facility, the Conditional Cash Transfer for Education (CCTE) continues to be successfully implemented. The CCTE supports school enrolment and attendance of refugee children through the provision of bi-monthly payments to refugee families, on condition that pupils attend school regularly. CCTE 2, which by the end of 2019 supported over 500 000 refugee children, is to run until October 2020. Humanitarian funding has also supported non-formal education and enrolment of out-of-school children under the first and second tranches of the Facility. Over EUR 180 million has thus been committed to education in emergencies.

With regard to development assistance, the first direct grant to the Ministry of National Education 40 to increase integration and access to high-quality education for Syrian children ended in May 2019, but continues under “PIKTES II 41 ”, with a budget of EUR 400 million. Implementation should run until December 2021. Under PICTES, over 4 000 Turkish language trainers have been employed to give language training to over 230 000 children, and more than 52 000 students received catch-up and back-up training. As of June 2019, the number of educational personnel trained reached over 170 000. Around 5 000 staff were supported through salaries or incentives. Under “PIKTES II”, the Facility continues to increase access rates of Syrian students to education, and improve the operational capacity of educational institutions and staff, as well as the quality of education.

Under the first tranche, two projects out of six implemented under the EU Trust Fund (EUTF) for a total of EUR 120 million (covering primarily vocational education and training (VET), and higher education), are ongoing and should be completed by 2020.

Effective progress has been made in the upgrading of schools, with over 900 schools out of a targeted 970 now equipped and refurbished. School construction is on track with 45 schools built. Under the second tranche, the Facility provides for additional educational infrastructure for an amount of EUR 100 million. Following a Call for Proposals launched by the EU Delegation to Turkey, a contract was signed with KfW in August for the construction of approximately ten primary and secondary schools, 170 pre-schools and one public education centre. In addition, a EUR 40 million clean energy project under the EUTF aiming to feed energy to schools by constructing two solar farms and rooftop panels to 120 schools is progressing.

14.

Protection


The humanitarian strand of the Facility has supported the registration and verification exercise for refugees to legalise their status with the Directorate General of Migration Management (DGMM) 42 in Turkey and to facilitate their access to social services. Within the first tranche, almost EUR 185 million was allocated for this purpose, including protection mainstreaming. Under the second tranche, over EUR 75 million has been contracted to support the continuous registration and updating of refugees’ status, and to continue facilitating their access to specialised protection services, as well as social services provided by the government.

The development strand via the EUTF has assisted in the reception of refugees in community centres and further referral for vulnerable refugees to adequate services in Turkey. Following the adoption of the Special Measure in July 2019, a direct grant to the Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Services for an amount of EUR 20 million was being negotiated at the time of drafting, and should improve the provision of preventive and protective social services to the most vulnerable refugees and host community members.

15.

Health


As the provision of health care services is increasingly supported by the development strand of the Facility, under the second tranche humanitarian partners currently operate a limited number of mobile services (to respond to urgent primary health care needs, including sexual and reproductive health) and specialised services, such as mental health and psychosocial support and physiotherapy/physical rehabilitation. In the priority area of health, the full transition to development programming is expected to be completed by the end of 2020.

Under the development strand, the implementation of the direct grant “SIHHAT” 43 to the Ministry of Health should run until November 2020. The number of functional Migrant Health Centres has reached 176 and 3 181 healthcare personnel were recruited by the end of 2019. The pace of project implementation is satisfactory with tangible results in the field. The focus of the SIHHAT project has been strengthened in order to facilitate specialised support services such as mental health and psychosocial support, physical therapy and rehabilitation and the integration of protection services (previously supported under the humanitarian strand) within the Migrant Health Centres (MHCs). In parallel, a World Health Organisation project is implemented under the EUTF and includes support to migrant health training centres, training for Syrian medical personnel and certification of Syrian doctors and nurses to work in the MHCs. The follow-up grant to the Ministry of Health (SIHHAT 2) for EUR 210 million should start in the summer of 2020, with negotiations on the contract on-going. It should not only ensure the continuation of current health services, but also aims to strengthen specialised services such as reproductive health, mental health and physical rehabilitation services. Health infrastructure is also being supported through the construction of hospitals in Kilis and Hatay. Following the adoption of the Special Measure in July 2019, an envelope of EUR 90 million has been allocated for additional small-scale building and/or rehabilitation of health infrastructure. The procurement procedure will be launched in the course of 2020.

Concerns persist with regard to access to health services of refugees outside of their original place of registration or on the move, which is limited to the Emergency Care Services and vaccinations. This negatively affects refugees on the move, seasonal workers and refugees who resettled in other provinces. The Commission follows the policy changes closely and aims to reach the refugee population affected via mobile healthcare activities of SIHHAT.

16.

Municipal infrastructure


Construction of waste and waste water management infrastructure facilities in Kilis, Hatay, Gaziantep and Sanliurfa is ongoing under a EUTF project implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). In addition, fire-fighting vehicles have been procured and technical assistance provided to increase the capacity of local institutions to respond to emergencies. Following a Call for Expression of Interest launched in December 2018, a number of projects were provisionally selected for financing under the second tranche. These projects include actions to improve access to, and the quality of, municipal services in the areas of water supply, wastewater and solid waste management in areas most affected by the refugee influx, as well as a smaller component for recreational infrastructure in support of social cohesion. The first contract with Agence Française de Développement was signed in December 2019, while negotiations are currently ongoing with other implementing partners.

17.

Basic needs and socio-economic support


The interventions in this priority area aim to ensure support for the basic needs of the most vulnerable refugees and boost resilience and self-reliance. This should allow for a transition from dependency on social assistance schemes to increased independence and livelihood opportunities for those who have the necessary capacity and skills.

The Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN), a humanitarian social assistance programme, delivers monthly, unrestricted, multi-purpose cash to vulnerable refugees. As of December 2019, it supports more than 1.7 million vulnerable refugees to meet their basic needs. The second phase of the ESSN should run until April 2020, when a new EUR 500 million contract (ESSN 3) with the International Federation of Red Cross should start. This should enable the provision of support to the most vulnerable refugees until the beginning of 2021. The total amount allocated to the basic needs response under the humanitarian strand of the Facility is over EUR 1.8 billion.

Given the protracted nature of the Syria crisis, interventions under the second tranche increasingly focus on socio-economic support activities and the creation of livelihood opportunities. A direct grant with the Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Services was being negotiated at the time of drafting and should allow for the provision of support to the most vulnerable refugees comparable with social assistance provided under the Turkish social security system. The co-existence of the ESSN and the direct grant require careful coordination and design of the implementation modalities so as to ensure synergies, avoid double funding, and ensure the progressive transition from humanitarian to development assistance. These activities should go in parallel with the implementation of projects on socio-economic support under the first tranche, for a total of more than EUR 185 million. Activities including job and vocational counselling on-the-job training programmes and simplification of work permit process, should support both Syrian refugees and host communities. The aim is to increase their employability and to facilitate their access to the labour market. A EUR 50 million project is being implemented by the World Bank, in cooperation with the Turkish Employment Agency İŞKUR and the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Services. In addition, small grants to entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship training are being provided to both Syrian refugees’ and host communities’ start-ups and existing entrepreneurs in cooperation with the Small and Medium Industry Development Organisation of Turkey, KOSGEB. A further project implemented by the World Bank supports the development and implementation of a female-led social entrepreneurship model to provide a sustainable income generating activity for both vulnerable Syrian refugee and Turkish women.

Under the second tranche, and following a Call for Expression of Interest of December 2018, multiple projects with pillar-assessed entities have been identified for a total amount of EUR 465 million. The activities planned aim to increase employability and skills development of refugees and host communities, improve services provided in relation to Vocational Education and Training, market supply and demand matching, and create a conducive environment for business growth, registration and expansion. Activities should target both refugees and host communities in an effort to spur social cohesion and fight stereotypes leading to social tensions. The first two projects were signed in December 2019 with Expertise France and the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD).

18.

Gender aspects within projects under the Facility


The Commission is committed to implement the EU Gender Action Plan II (GAP) “Transforming the Lives of Girls and Women through EU External Relations 2016-2020” on strengthening gender equality and women’s empowerment in EU external action. In this context, the promotion, protection and fulfilment of human rights for women and girls, gender equality and women’s and girls’ empowerment are overarching EU priorities and objectives, which guide interventions of the Facility for Refugees in Turkey.

More specifically, the humanitarian strand of the Facility is governed by ECHO’s 2013 gender policy ‘Gender in Humanitarian Aid: different needs, adapted response’. This implies calls on partners to conduct gender analysis at the onset of a programme, to adapt programme design and implementation according to the differential risks and opportunities facing gender groups, and report on results with gender-disaggregated data.

As a result, gender-related issues are taken into account for all Facility projects and are mainstreamed. Facility interventions are designed to promote the provision of equal opportunities for men and women, boys and girls. Gender disaggregated data are collected to monitor this. Gender mainstreaming is combined with dedicated actions that have been developed to ensure progress in this area. The Facility works with implementing partners that have solid experience with this approach and have the capacity to engage in dialogue with the Turkish authorities. Those include the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), UN Women, and the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

19.

Migration management


Two projects were funded under the Facility’s first tranche in this area. A first project provided EU support to strengthen the capacity of the Turkish Coast Guard to carry out search and rescue operations. Six life boats were delivered in 2018 and 1 081 Turkish Coast Guard staff have been trained in humanitarian standards. A second project was to support the implementation of the EU-Turkey Statement through assistance to the DGMM in the management of returns from the EU and in the day-to-day operations in 21 removal centres. The Facility has covered the costs incurred in the management of returns (transportation, hosting) of 369 Syrians and 1 605 non-Syrians, as well as the construction of a removal centre for 750 people. The project covered costs for medication, food, hygiene kits, clothing, phone cards for irregular migrants apprehended in Turkey and returned from the EU, as well as utility costs of removal centres. The project also financed the salaries of 186 personnel to provide services for migrants in 21 removal centres, including psychologists (24), social workers (17), interpreters (54), food engineers (15), technicians (43) and drivers (33). This project came to an end in December 2019. No specific budget allocation is foreseen for this area under the second tranche.

6.Monitoring & evaluation

The monitoring and evaluation system of the Facility was designed to be gradually rolled out and to be continuously improved.

20.

Results Framework


The Facility Results Framework reflects the strategic framework of the Facility itself, as well as the concrete actions implemented under the umbrella of the Facility and their logical frameworks. The Results Framework was developed between August 2016 and March 2017 in consultation with key stakeholders, including the Facility Steering Committee, relevant Turkish authorities and the relevant Commission Services. A first draft was shared with the Steering Committee in March 2017 and a revised version in November 2018.

The Results Framework has been under further revision to ensure its updating and alignment with the updated priority areas under the second tranche of the Facility. The main aim is to enable performance monitoring and results reporting, both at output and outcome level for the Facility as a whole. The final draft of the Revised Results Framework was shared with the Steering Committee in December 2019.

21.

Facility-level monitoring and reporting


Facility-level monitoring was launched in spring 2017. Monitoring data are generated at output level by the implementing partners, as per their obligation under each contract. A first request for monitoring data was issued in May 2017, followed by three reporting cycles in 2017. Reporting cycles continued in 2018 and 2019; based on this, Facility Monitoring Reports were released on a bi-annual basis, with the most recent monitoring report covering the period until June 2019. 44

The first data collection cycles were designed as a pilot phase for Results Framework output indicators. They were instrumental in familiarising implementing partners with Facility monitoring and reporting requirements, and to test the feasibility of the proposed indicators. It is important to note that a significant share of the Facility portfolio of actions was contracted towards the end of 2017 and that implementation of the corresponding actions started in 2018.

Data relevant for the Facility Results Framework indicators are reported by implementing partners to contracting authorities, i.e. the EU Delegation to Turkey, the EU Regional Trust Fund in response to the Syrian crisis EUTF and DG ECHO, using one common monitoring template. Data are consolidated by each contracting authority and submitted to the Facility Secretariat for aggregation and analysis. The process receives technical support through an internal IT tool – the Facility Monitoring Platform - that allows for the automatic aggregation, analysis and visualisation of data. The main features of the Facility Monitoring Platform were showcased during the December 2019 Steering Committee.

22.

Technical Assistance for monitoring


The Commission adopted a first Commission Implementing Decision establishing a Support Measure on monitoring, evaluation, audit and communication of the Facility for Refugees in Turkey in May 2017. This enabled the procurement of technical assistance in support of Facility monitoring, both at action/contract and Facility level. The technical assistance contract for monitoring was signed in January 2018 and is being implemented. The assignment has two distinct parts. The first consists of the support to monitoring and reporting at the Facility level. This comprises a periodic review of the Results Framework, the review of baseline and target values and the indicator calculation methods and related guidelines. The technical assistance team is also in charge of supporting the Facility Secretariat in deriving first-level analysis of the monitoring data collected quarterly via the Facility Monitoring Platform and preparing the Bi-Annual Facility Monitoring Reports. The second part of the assignment consists of support to the EU Delegation to monitor Facility-funded actions/contracts under the development strand, including verification of data through regular or ad hoc monitoring missions. Indeed, due to the size of some Facility interventions and the geographical spread of the activities, the Delegation needs support for on-the-spot checks. By the end of December 2019, 135 monitoring missions had been completed: six results oriented (ROM) monitoring missions were performed by ROM experts, 31 missions by the technical assistance team, and 98 on-the-spot checks/monitoring missions by the relevant EUD programme managers. Over 28% of all these monitoring missions were targeting the direct grants to the Ministries of Education and Health, and the Directorate General for Migration Management.

In November 2019, the Commission adopted a second Support Measure to complement, continue and build upon the results achieved under the first Support Measure. The humanitarian pillar of the Facility is monitored in compliance with relevant provisions. Monitoring of all actions financed under the Humanitarian Implementation Plans (HIPs) was undertaken by DG ECHO field staff in Turkey and by the regional DG ECHO office in Amman as well as by monitoring visits from HQ staff. By the end of December 2019, 177 project-level monitoring missions had been completed. In addition to the Results Framework indicators under which DG ECHO partners are reporting on a quarterly basis, indicators on the priority area of protection were also reported under the first tranche, and reflected in the same Monitoring Platform used for Facility-level monitoring. Under the Revised Results Framework, an explicit protection priority area has been created and all relevant indicators under the humanitarian strand have been integrated under one Facility-wide framework.

23.

Evaluation


The evaluation of Facility interventions is taking place at three different levels; action-level evaluations, Facility portfolio-type evaluations and other Facility-related evaluations. Five Facility action- and portfolio-level evaluations and six Facility-related evaluations have been either completed or are ongoing. In December 2018, the Commission launched the strategic mid-term evaluation of the Facility, which started in March 2019. The evaluation is to assess the Facility’s contribution to the priority areas of education, health, socio-economic support and migration management over the period of 2016-2019/20. It should provide relevant Commission services, the Facility Steering Committee, other interested stakeholders and the wider public with an overall independent assessment of the Facility’s performance, paying particular attention to its intermediate results measured against its objectives. The evaluation also aims to capture lessons learned and provide recommendations to improve current and future Facility actions.

7.Audit

Following the release of the Special Report on the Facility of the European Court of Auditors (ECA) 45 issued in November 2018, the Commission is implementing its recommendations. Good progress has been made on all the recommendations in particular when it comes to ensuring greater complementarity of instruments used under the Facility, reduction of indirect support costs and the development of a transition strategy.

8.Communication and visibility

From the very beginning of the Facility, visibility and communication have been key priorities. The Facility is central in conveying the message of the EU's continued strong support to refugees and host communities in Turkey. The 2017 communication strategy remains the overall framework for communication activities, with the aim to enhance the visibility of Facility-funded actions.

24.

Events and ceremonies


Several events took place in 2019, marking significant Facility milestones, as well as events opening projects in various sectors organised by implementing partners. These include for example, a school opening ceremony by the World Bank, media training by the Association for Solidarity with Asylum Seekers and Migrants (ASAM), a ground-breaking ceremony of the Facility-funded state hospital in Hatay by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), and an EUTF-funded university student graduation ceremony. Various other events organised by the EU Delegation attracted public attention, such as the concert of 'Harmony of the Future' at the occasion of the Syria Conference; the establishment of the 'EU-Turkey Solidarity Team' football team, which participated in the U12 İzmir Cup football tournament 46 ; and a photo exhibition on migration on World Refugee Day. The Facility was also showcased on the occasion of the Global Refugees Forum in Geneva at the end of December 2019. Furthermore, the EU Delegation, Konya Governorship, EU Ambassadors and representatives of the Ministry of National Education participated in the opening of a new school building as part of the 'Project on Education Infrastructure for Resilience' 47 .

The EU’s humanitarian partners implemented several communication activities across Europe, informing European citizens about the EU’s support to refugees in Turkey. For example, the World Food Programme, as part of the communication push around the Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN) programme, organised an exhibition in Strasbourg train station between July-September 2019. It showed 52 pieces of art created by twelve Syrian women, all beneficiaries of the ESSN programme in Turkey. Initially the exhibition was held in Ankara and Istanbul in 2018, gathering considerable media attention. UNICEF organised a photography exhibition, funded by DG ECHO under the Non-Formal Education (NFE) Programme, entitled “Dreams of the Future”. It showed photos taken by Turkish and Syrian adolescents at the French Economic, Social and Environmental Council in Paris in May 2019. The EU’s humanitarian partner Diakonie organised exhibitions around Germany in 2019, namely in Berlin and Hanover. They also ran an infoscreen campaign during the German evangelical church days in Dortmund.

25.

Media presence


The Facility's humanitarian programmes featured in over 70 major international print and audio/visual reports in 2019. This was supported by one media trip organised by DG ECHO to Turkey, and two media trips organised by EU humanitarian partners. Other media events in 2019 included a press trip for European journalists organised by the EU Delegation, during which journalists visited Facility projects in İstanbul 48 . Furthermore, the Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management visited Turkey on the occasion of the ESSN programme reaching 1.5 million beneficiaries in January 2019. More than ten national dailies and press agencies as well as more than 100 digital outlets reported on the visit.

The use of audiovisual material to showcase Facility activities has been an important part of the overall communication strategy. Implementing partners were encouraged to produce videos on the achievement of their projects through human interest stories. Almost 50 videos were produced by UN agencies, ministries and NGOs in 2019. Ten TV episodes were broadcast on a national TV channel in Turkey, focusing on different projects under the Facility from a human-interest angle. Turkish officials were also interviewed. A playlist grouping the TV Programmes “Hepsi Gerçek” 49 has been created on the Youtube Channel of the EU Delegation.

The information and communication teams of the EU Delegation and DG ECHO Turkey regularly promote Facility projects. These projects received wide-range coverage by major international broadcasters including TRT World, Reuters, Deutsche Welle, Anadolu Agency, and others. TV ads were run during the beginning of the new school year 2019, focusing on infrastructure projects in the education sector. Content relating to humanitarian programmes recorded at least 200 national media hits.

In 2019, the Commission issued eight press releases relating to the Facility, and the EU Delegation in Ankara issued ten releases locally. Humanitarian partners of DG ECHO issued five local press releases in 2019. Humanitarian partners and EU staff produced ten blog stories, which were extensively promoted via partner organisations’ channels, social media of both DG NEAR and DG ECHO, as well as local EU social media accounts in Turkey 50 .

9.Conclusion and next steps

Important progress in the mobilisation of the Facility was made in 2019. The full operational envelope of the Facility has been committed, more than two-third of which has been contracted and more than half has been disbursed. The Facility continued to provide much needed assistance to refugees and host communities in Turkey. The next steps include:

·Continuing effective implementation of all projects to benefit refugees and host communities, in line with the principles of sound financial management.

·Continuing operation of the monitoring system.

·Continuing the roll-out of communication activities.

·Meetings of the Facility Steering Committee in the spring and autumn of 2020.


(1)

Commission Decision C(2015) 9500 of 24.11.2015 on the coordination of the actions of the Union and of the Member States through a coordination mechanism – the Refugee Facility for Turkey, as amended by Commission Decision C(2016)855 of 10.2.2016.

(2)

https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/sites/near/files/170302_facility_for_refugees_in_turkey_first_annual_report.pdf

(3)

https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/sites/near/files/14032018_facility_for_refugees_in_turkey_second_annual_report.pdf

(4)

https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/sites/near/files/com_2019_174_f1_communication_from_commission_to_inst_en_v5_p1_1016762.pdf

(5)

3,576,370 “Syrians under Temporary Protection” were registered on 31.12.2019, source Turkish Directorate General for Migration Management: https://en.goc.gov.tr/temporary-protection27

(6)

www.unhcr.org/tr/en/unhcr-turkey-stats">https://www.unhcr.org/tr/en/unhcr-turkey-stats

(7)

A specificity of the Turkish asylum system is linked to the fact that the country has signed the 1967 New York Protocol of the 1951 Geneva Convention with a reservation. Accordingly, the vast majority of refugees in Turkey cannot apply for fully-fledged refugee status but for 'Conditional Refugee' status only, which, if granted, limits the stay in the country until the moment a recognised refugee is 'resettled to a third country'.

(8)

www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases">www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases

(9)

Commission Decision C(2016) 60/03 of 10.02.2016 on the Facility for Refugees in Turkey amending Commission Decision C(2015) 9500 of 24 November 2015.

(10)

https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-11329-2018-INIT/en/pdf

(11)

Funding mobilised in the years 2013-2015 under the different external financing instruments, namely the Humanitarian Aid Instrument (HUMA), the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) and the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP), including a number of actions implemented by the EU Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis (EUTF).

(12)

Since the beginning of the crisis, the EU has mobilised all political and humanitarian tools at its disposal in support of the Syrian people, with EUR 17 billion mobilised collectively with EU Member States in humanitarian, development, economic and stabilisation assistance.

(13)

www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases">www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases

(14)

26.

Frontex https://frontex.europa.eu/along-eu-borders/migratory-map/


(15)

According to the EU-Turkey Statement, for every Syrian being returned to Turkey from Greek islands, another Syrian is resettled from Turkey to the EU taking into account the UN Vulnerability Criteria.

(16)

Commission Decision C(2015) 9500 of 24.11.2015, Article 2 – Objectives of the Facility.

(17)

See Article 5 (1) of Commission Decision C(2015) 9500, as amended by Commission Decision C(2016)855.

(18)

https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/sites/near/files/2016_needs_assessment_.pdf

(19)

https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/sites/near/files/updated_needs_assessment.pdf

(20)

The European Neighbourhood Instrument and the Development Cooperation Instrument (DCI) contributions were respectively transferred to and implemented under the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance and the EU Trust Fund. In principle all Facility contributions to the EUTF (from IPA and to a minor extent from DCI) were implemented as non-humanitarian assistance.

(21)

Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/96 concerning humanitarian aid , OJ L163, 2.7.1996, p. 1.

(22)

Regulation (EU) No 232/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a European Neighbourhood Instrument, OJ L 77, 15.3.2014, p. 27.

(23)

Regulation (EU) No 233/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a financing instrument for development cooperation, OJ L 77, 15.3.2014, p. 44.

(24)

Regulation (EU) No 231/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing an Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance, OJ L 77, 15.3.2014, p. 11.

(25)

Regulation (EU) No 230/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing an instrument contributing to stability and peace, OJ L 77, 15.3.2014, p. 1.

(26)

The total distribution of Member States' contribution is available at www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases">www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases .

(27)

www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases">https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases

(28)

https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/sites/near/files/updated_needs_assessment.pdf

(29)

https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/sites/near/files/updated_facility_strategic_concept_note.pdf

(30)

ECA report: www.eca.europa.eu/Lists/ECADocuments/SR18_27">https://www.eca.europa.eu/Lists/ECADocuments/SR18_27

(31)

Commission Implementing Decision of 18.7.2019 on the adoption of a special measure on health, protection, socio-economic support and municipal infrastructure under the Facility for Refugees in Turkey, Brussels, 18.7.2019 C(2019) 5454 final

(32)

https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/sites/near/files/amendment_c_2018_8254_f1_commission_implementing_decision_en_v3_p1_1001796.pdf

(33)

The remainder of the humanitarian envelope is for administrative and support costs, which are not included in HIPs.

(34)

https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/sites/near/files/facility_table.pdf

(35)

Joint Statement by the Council and the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States.

(36)

Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/96 of 20 June 1996 concerning humanitarian aid.

(37)

The European Commission's humanitarian aid is based on annual country-specific Humanitarian Implementation Plans (HIPs). The framework for cooperation between the Commission and its partners in the area of humanitarian aid is established by the Commission's Financial and Administrative Framework Agreements with international organisations and Framework Partnership Agreements with non-governmental organisations.

(38)

Funds from the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance under the Facility are managed in accordance with the rules for external action contained in Title IV of part two of the Financial Regulation and its Rules of Application.

(39)

This figure includes also disbursements under projects implemented by the EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis, but not yet charged to the EU budget.

(40)

The project is called “PICTES – Promoting the integration of Syrian children into Turkish Education System”

(41)

27.

Promoting Integration of Syrian Kids into the Education System (PIKTES) II


(42)

The Turkish Ministry of Interior’s Directorate General of Migration Management

(43)

SIHHAT stands for 'Improving the health status of the Syrian population under temporary protection and related services provided by Turkish authorities' and it is a EUR 300 million direct grant with the Turkish Ministry of Health to ensure access to health care services to refugees.

(44)

https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/sites/near/files/facility_results_framework_monitoring_report.pdf

(45)

www.eca.europa.eu/Lists/ECADocuments/SR18_27">https://www.eca.europa.eu/Lists/ECADocuments/SR18_27

(46)

www.avrupa.info.tr/en/news">https://www.avrupa.info.tr/en/news

(47)

www.avrupa.info.tr/en/eu-and-member-states">https://www.avrupa.info.tr/en/eu-and-member-states

(48)

www.avrupa.info.tr/en/news">https://www.avrupa.info.tr/en/news

www.avrupa.info.tr/en/news">https://www.avrupa.info.tr/en/news

(49)

www.youtube.com">https://www.youtube.com

(50)

The EU Delegation posted 49 posts on Instagram, 77 on Facebook and 189 on Twitter. On Facebook these posts recieved 141,000 impressions and on Twitter over 1m impressions.