Explanatory Memorandum to COM(2023)543 - Seventh Annual Report of the Facility for Refugees in Turkey - Main contents
Please note
This page contains a limited version of this dossier in the EU Monitor.
| dossier | COM(2023)543 - Seventh Annual Report of the Facility for Refugees in Turkey. |
|---|---|
| source | COM(2023)543 |
| date | 22-09-2023 |
1. Introduction 1
1.1. Türkiye and the refugee crisis 1
1.2. The EU response to the crisis and the establishment of the Facility 2
2. The functioning of the Facility 6
3. Financial capacity, duration and nature of funding 7
4. Implementation of the Facility 10
5. Monitoring & evaluation 16
6. Audit 18
7. Communication and visibility 18
8. Conclusion and next steps 18
1. Introduction
In accordance with Article 8 (1) of the Commission Decision of 24 November 20151 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 20172. All Annual Reports can be found on the Facility for Refugees website. The cut-off date for this report is February 2023.
1. Türkiye and the refugee crisis
Due to its geographic position, Türkiye is a prominent reception and transit country for refugees and migrants. The country has been hosting more than four million refugees, the highest number in the world. This includes more than 3.5 million registered Syrian refugees3, and around 305,000 registered refugees and asylum seekers mainly from Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and Somalia4 5. This very large number of people has had a significant impact on the host communities. The protracted displacement of Syrian refugees and the increasing number of irregular arrivals from Afghanistan in Türkiye, following the crisis in Summer 2021, is posing increasing challenges on social cohesion between refugees, migrants and host communities, especially in a context characterised by the economic downturn.
Türkiye continues to make very significant efforts in hosting and addressing the needs of more than four million refugees and migrants and has reiterated its commitment to the implementation of the EU-Turkey Statement of March 20166. Although Türkiye did not face a mass influx of migrants and refugees as a consequence of the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, pressure continuedalong the Turkish-Iranian border. The Statement continued to deliver results in 2022. However, in 2022, arrivals of irregular migrants increased on all routes compared to 2021. Furthermore, although resettlement of refugees to EU Member States resumed after a short break due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Türkiye has maintained the suspension of returns from the Greek islands that it imposed in March 2020.
The October 2020 European Council agreed to launch a positive EU- Türkiye agenda. Four priority areas were identified: the improvement of the functioning of the Customs Union and relaunching discussions on its modernisation; migration and support to refugees; high level dialogues; people-to-people contacts and mobility. The European Council of June 2021 reiterated the EU’s readiness to engage with Türkiye in a phased, proportionate and reversible manner to enhance cooperation in a number of areas of common interest, subject to the established conditionalities set out in March 2021 and in previous European Council conclusions. An EU- Türkiye High Level Dialogue on migration and security took place in Ankara in October 2021.
Earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria - February 2023
Following the devastating earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria in February 2023, the European Union immediately mobilised search and rescue teams for Türkiye, following its request to activate the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, and 21 Member States sent search and rescue teams and medical units. The EU’s Copernicus satellite system was also activated to provide emergency mapping services and the EU’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre was in direct contact with the authorities in Türkiye to coordinate further support when needed. The EU will continue to support the people of Türkiye, and organised a Donors’ Conference on 20 March in Brussels to mobilise funds from the international community in support of the people in Türkiye and Syria, through a total of EUR 7 billion in pledges, including for the 1,7 million refugees in the affected areas.
The June 2021 European Council called on the Commission to put forward without delay formal proposals for the continuation of financing for Syrian refugees and host communities in Türkiye, Jordan, Lebanon and other parts of the region, in line with the statement of the Members of the European Council of March 2021 and within the context of the EU’s overall migration policy. The Commission allocated EUR 3 billion from the EU budget to support of refugees in Türkiye for 2021-2023, and it has committed EUR 2.2 billion to date in the areas of basic needs and socio-economic support, education, border management, as well as protection.
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 Türkiye in its efforts to host refugees. In answer to the call from EU Member States for significant additional funding to support refugees in Türkiye, the Commission established the Facility for Refugees in Turkey by means of the Commission Decision of 24 November 2015, amended on 10 February 20167, 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 revenue. 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.8 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. This EUR 3 billion was made available in addition to EUR 345 million9 already allocated by the Commission to Türkiye in response to the Syrian refugee crisis before the start of the Facility and was additional to Member States' bilateral aid10. 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. By 31 December 2020, the Commission had contracted the full operational envelope of the Facility. Out of a total of EUR 6 billion, EUR 5 billion had been disbursed by the end of 2022.
On 18 March 2016, the Heads of State and Government of the European Union and Türkiye reconfirmed their commitment to the implementation of their Joint Action Plan and agreed further measures aimed at deepening EU-Türkiye- relations and addressing the migration crisis11. Türkiye 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 irregular migration from Türkiye 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 total number of arrivals from Türkiye into Greece, Italy and Bulgaria in 2022 was 33 460 compared to 21 295 in 2021 (58% increase). 15 582 arrivals were recorded to Greece in comparison to 7 443 in 2021 (209% increase); 15 805 to Italy compared to 12 916 in 2021 (22% increase) and 1 900 to Bulgaria compared to 936 in 2021 (more than 200% increase). 173 arrivals were recorded from Türkiye to Romania. The migratory route from Türkiye to Cyprus remained very active. In 2022, the total number of irregular arrivals to the government-controlled areas of Cyprus was 18 260 (17 437 after having crossed the Green Line and 823 by boat coming from both Syria and Türkiye) which is a 56% increase compared to 2021.
Türkiye continues to face significant migratory pressure. The number of irregular migrants deported from Türkiye to third countries in 2022 was 124 441, which is an 161% increase compared to 2021. According to the Presidency for Migration Management (PMM), in 2022 and compared to 2021, Türkiye noted a 206% increase in returns of Afghan nationals, a 28% increase in returns of Pakistani nationals and a 180% increase in returns of foreigners with other nationalities. A total of 280 206 irregular migrants were prevented from entering the country in 2022.
Implementation of the ‘One-for-One’ resettlement scheme under the Statement continued. Between April 2016 and February 2023, 37 397 Syrian refugees were resettled from Türkiye to the EU. Since 2016, under the Statement, 2 140 migrants have been returned from the Greek islands to Türkiye. Turkish authorities have not revoked their decision of March 2020 to suspend return operations under the Statement and no return operations took place since then despiterepeated requests from the Greek authorities and the European Commission12. The Voluntary Humanitarian Admissions Scheme which can to be activated once irregular crossings between Türkiye and the EU end or at least have been substantially and sustainably reduced,has not been activated by Member States. .
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 Türkiye, while ensuring sound financial management. 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 manner13.
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 Türkiye’s commitments under the EU-Turkey Joint Action Plan of 29 November 2015 (hereafter the ‘Joint Action Plan’)14. In 2022, the seventh year of implementation of the Facility, two Steering Committee meetings took place, on 23 June and 8 December.
The 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 assessment15, paying particular attention to vulnerable groups. The needs assessment was updated in 201816.
The Facility coordinates financing from the following external financing instruments17: humanitarian aid18, the European Neighbourhood Instrument19, the Development Cooperation Instrument20, the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA)21 and the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace22. 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 by Türkiye 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 and second tranche run until mid-2025 at the latest, with many projects of the first tranche already completed and most projects scheduled to finish earlier. Exceptionally, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the implementation period for projects under the 2016 EUR 1.6 billion Special Measure was extended, allowing for all projects concerned to reach their stated objectives.
The first tranche amounted to EUR 3 billion, of which EUR 1 billion was mobilised from the EU budget and EUR 2 billion in bilateral contributions from the Member States23. Likewise, the second tranche amounted to EUR 3 billion, of which the EU budget provided EUR 2 billion and the Member States EUR 1 billion24.
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, EUR 265 million in 2020, EUR 166 million in 2021, EUR 165 million in 2022, with the remaining payments (EUR 134 million) planned in 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.
Under the humanitarian strand of the Facility, EUR 19.50 million was earmarked as a buffer for possible funding of responses to the influx of new refugees from Syria in 2019. Since the buffer was not used, this amount was contracted in 2020 to cover health and protection actions, completing the programming exercise for the second tranche.
Additional EU assistance to refugees in Türkiye outside the framework of the Facility
In 2020, the Commission allocated EUR 535 million to support humanitarian actions in Türkiye outside the framework of the Facility. This amount included EUR 50 million to continue assistance in the areas of protection, health and education, and EUR 485 million under an Amending Budget to continue the Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN) and the Conditional Cash Transfer in Education (CCTE). This assistance has been fully contracted and disbursed.
Further to the European Council conclusions of June 2021, the Commission proposed to mobilise a further EUR 3 billion for refugees and host communities in Türkiye for the period 2021-2023. The first EUR 560 million of this funding was committed in late 2021 to continue support in the priority areas of basic needs and education, and migration management and border control. In 2022, another EUR 1 235 million were committed in the priority areas of basic needs and socio-economic support (EUR 634 million), as well as border management (EUR 220 million). The latter measure aims to strengthen Türkiye's border control capacities, in response to continuous migration pressure from Türkiye’s eastern borders, through the provision of equipment, technical assistance and training.
In addition, EUR 425 million were committed in 2021 and 2022 (EUR 300 million in 2021, and EUR 125 million in 2022) under humanitarian assistance to continue protection services and basic needs support.
The balance of EUR 630 million is to be programmed in 2023. In addition, a total of EUR 150 million is being mobilised in support of resettlement of refugees to EU Member States, migration and border management and anti-smuggling efforts under HOME instruments as part of the EUR 3 billion package.
Total EU assistance allocated to refugees in Türkiye since 2011 amounts to close to EUR 10 billion. This includes EUR 345 million in refugee assistance mobilised between 2011 and 2016, the EUR 6 billion under the Facility, EUR 535 million in bridge funding in 2020 and EUR 3 billion in additional funding in 2021-2023.
By 31 December 2020, the Commission had contracted the full operational envelope of the Facility. Out of a total of EUR 6 billion, just over EUR 5 billion had been disbursed by end 2022.
4. 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 was allocated to humanitarian assistance, and EUR 1.9 billion to development assistance25.
For the Facility overall, the breakdown of humanitarian and development assistance is as follows:
Full details can be obtained from the online projects table26.
Programming of the Facility was completed in December 2019 and by end-2020 the full operational envelope of EUR 6 billion had been contracted, out of which over EUR 5 billion had been disbursed by end-2022.
It is important to note that assistance provided within the framework of the Facility is project-based. Disbursements depend on progress in 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 under the Facility aims to help the most vulnerable refugees, through the provision of dignified support addressing basic needs and protection. It also addresses gaps through specialised agencies and partners in the sectors of health and education in emergencies. The provision of EU humanitarian aid is guided by the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid of 200727, 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)28,29.
Under the humanitarian strand of the Facility, a total of 65 projects have been implemented through 21 partners under both the first and the second tranche. These projects cover the response to basic needs, protection, education, and health for the most vulnerable refugees in Türkiye. 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 1.04 billion was contracted and by 31 January 2023, EUR 1.035 million was disbursed.
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 continued to show good progress. Out of these projects, 15 were 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 Assistance30.
Disbursements to implementing partners reached nearly EUR 2.6 billion out of a total of EUR 3.5 billion allocated to development assistance under both tranches of the Facility31. Under the second tranche, the allocated EUR 1.9 billion was fully contracted by December 2020, out of which just over EUR 1 billion had been disbursed by end-December 2022. The development strand of the Facility includes 17 contracts.
In 2022, Facility implementation was affected by very high inflation in Türkiye and exchange rate-related challenges necessitating a reduction in the scope of some projects, in turn resulting in a decrease in the number of facilities constructed. Significant changes in market conditions and the rate of inflation negatively impacted the procurement of several actions in particular.
These factors of increasing inflation, the devaluation of the Turkish Lira and the corresponding price increases for construction materials presented a challenge to project implementation, especially for infrastructure projects. The Commission is carrying out an assessment of affected projects to determine any shortfalls in project completion and has stepped up engagement with implementing partners and on the spot missions. This assessment is still ongoing at the time of reporting.
Facility interventions per priority area
Progress per priority area in the implementation of assistance financed under both tranches of the Facility is reported on in the biannual Facility Monitoring Reports.32 Significant achievements in providing assistance to refugees and host communities were reached in the following priority areas:
Education
The Facility has allocated more than EUR 1.5 billion to the priority area of education, including EUR 545 million33 for educational infrastructure.
Under the humanitarian strand of the Facility, more than EUR 181 million was allocated to education. The Conditional Cash Transfer in Education (CCTE) supports school enrolment and attendance of refugee children through the provision of monthly payments to refugee families on condition that pupils attend school regularly. The CCTE programme’s cash component has been funded under the humanitarian strand until October 2022 following the EUR 85 million top-up provided under the Amending Budget agreed in July 2020, while capacity support activities for the smooth transition continued until December 2022. This programme was transferred to the development strand in October 2022. By October 2022, 811 181 children had benefitted from the CCTE. Funded under the additional assistance for refugees in Türkiye, the fourth phase of the CCTE was signed in September 2022 for an amount of EUR 210 million, completing the transition from humanitarian aid to longer-term development assistance in the area of education.
The implementation of the Facility flagship direct grant (PIKTES II34) to the Ministry of National Education (MoNE) of EUR 400 million ended in January 2023 and continued with the new project PIKTES+35 with a total budget of EUR 300 million funded under the additional assistance for refugees in Türkiye. PIKTES supports the Ministry through increased enrolment, retention and transition in the formal education system for refugee children, while maintaning the quality of education and social cohesion. By March 2022, just over 747 000 Syrian children were enrolled in formal education. Over 44 000 pupils were in pre-primary, over 328,000 pupils were in primary, 282 323 pupils in lower secondary and 77 361 pupils in upper secondary level, while over 7 500 pupils were in formal distance secondary education. By June 2022, 63 489 refugee children had received catch-up training and 41 038 refugee children had received back-up training with Facility support. In terms of support to the education system’s teaching capacity, 3 321 teaching and counselling staff and support staff members were employed (PIKTES teachers and guidance counsellors) and 22 834 civil servant teachers and 15 917 school administrative staff were remunerated through PIKTES II. In terms of conducive learning environment, 3 020 cleaning staff and 1 580 security staff were employed at schools. As of June 2022, under PIKTES II, 3 886 teachers, 10 126 civil servant teachers and 8 154 school administrative staff were trained on various topics related to inclusive education.
The number of refugee and host community students receiving Facility-supported scholarships to attend Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) or higher education institutions has reached 29 049. The majority of these students were refugees. Gender balance was maintained.
The Facility has continued to support educational infrastructure development and reduce school overcrowding. There has been significant progress in the number of educational facilities upgraded and completed. A major achievement in upgrading was the installation of 8 700 smartboards to primary and secondary schools. To date, over 12 000 facilities have been upgraded with Facility support. In addition, a total of 117 schools were constructed and the delivery of education services was started in 108 schools. A EUR 40 million clean energy project contracted under the first tranche aims to provide energy via two solar farms and rooftop panels to 120 schools. The roof top installation for three schools has been completed and an average of 90% progress was achieved on another 48 schools. In addition, rehabilitation works to increase the energy efficiency of another 41 schools started and by end 2022 70% progress was recorded.
Protection
A total of some EUR 211 million has been allocated to protection under the Facility, mainly through projects under the humanitarian strand.
The humanitarian strand of the Facility has supported the registration and verification of refugees so as to allow them to regularise their status in Türkiye and facilitate their access to services. In addition to stand-alone protection interventions aimed to fill gaps and respond to specific needs and individuals at risk, protection has also been mainstreamed into the other pillars of the humanitarian response strategy (basic needs, health and education). The overall aim is to better address refugees’ vulnerabilities, regularise their status and link them to a wider network of public and UN/NGO services. During the reporting period, assistance remained focused on the most vulnerable groups (e.g. seasonal agricultural migrant workers, Key Refugee Groups etc). In addition, projects financed through the EU Trust Fund in response to the Syrian Crisis included assistance to the reception of refugees in community centres and further referrals for vulnerable refugees to adequate services.
Under the development strand of the Facility , a direct grant to the Ministry of Family and Labour and Social Services for an amount of EUR 20 million was contracted at the end of 2020. The project aims to improve the provision of preventive and protective social services to the most vulnerable refugees and host communities. In 2022, eight of the planned 18 new Social Service Centres opened and there was progress towards the opening of six elderly day care centres. Preparatory activities were also initiated, in particular the furnishing of 75 Child Protection Units, establishing ten mobile social services centres, providing material support to Violence Protection and Monitoring Units and training some 4 000 central and provincial Ministry of Family and Social Services staff.
Health
Under the Facility, EUR 800 million has been allocated to the priority area of health.
The main pillar of Facility support is SIHHAT, a project funded with two consecutive allocations; EUR 300 million in 2016, and EUR 210 million in 2020. SIHHAT supports the Turkish Ministry of Health in its efforts to provide free and equitable access to health care to 4 million refugees. A total of 187 Migrant Health Centres (MHC) are operational in 30 privinces and around 4 000 healthcare personnel are working in EU supported facilities, 75% of whom are of Syrian origin. The implementation of SIHHAT II continues at pace, with tangible results. Preparations for SIHHAT III started in 2022. SIHHAT III should ensure the continuation of refugee health care services beyond 2023, when SIHHAT II should come to an end.
The construction of the two hospitals funded under the Facility - Dörtyol/Hatay and Kilis – has been completed. Both hospitals were officially opened - in June and December 2022 respectively - and are fully operational. They deliver quality secondary healthcare services to refugees and host communities. In addition, the Facility is building and renovating MHCs, procuring maternity and hygiene kits, and renovating physiotherapy units, as a complement to SIHHAT.
The transition process of physical rehabilitation services from humanitarian to development assistance is almost completed. The humanitarian partner is sucessfully ensuring safe and inclusive access to services for refugees with disabilities and other vulnerabilities, in alignment with the readiness of the physical therapy rehabilitation (PTR) units constructed in the framework of SHIFA36, an EU funded project implemented by the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB).
In its preparations for SIHAT III, the Commission intends to pay particular attention to vulnerable groups (refugees outside of their province of registration, non-Syrians, LGBTQI+ and refugees with disabilities) and specific services, including reproductive health and mental health and psycho-social support.
Municipal infrastructure
Municipal infrastructure is a key priority for the Facility. The Facility supports a variety of municipalities with the provision of essential municipal services, including water supply and sanitation and solid waste management. It also supports local infrastructure through the provision of recreational services. The construction of a mechanical biological waste treatment facility in Gaziantep was completed in October 2021. Nine contracts were signed, out of 36, for water, wastewater and solid waste, while out of the 26 facilities for youth and sports, 22 were contracted and are currently under construction.
Basic needs and socio-economic support
More than EUR 2.83 billion has been allocated to basic needs and socio-economic support under the Facility.
Interventions in this priority area aim to ensure that the basic needs of the most vulnerable refugees are met, and that refugee resilience and self-reliance are strengthened. This should allow for a gradual transition from dependence on social assistance to increased self-reliance and livelihood opportunities.
Under the Facility’s basic needs assistance, more than 2.6 million refugees have received direct support allowing them to live in dignity. Most of the support is provided through the Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN), a humanitarian social assistance programme currently delivering monthly cash assistance via a debit card system to more than 1.6 million refugee beneficiaries. EUR 1.225 million was allocated to the third phase of the ESSN. The continuation of ESSN support is ensured until the second quarter of 202337, with follow-up funding allocated under additional refugee support outside the Facility.
Under the second tranche of the Facility, the Commission signed a EUR 245 million direct grant with the Ministry of Family and Social Services to allow for the provision of monthly financial support comparable with social assistance provided to vulnerable individuals under the Turkish social security system, i.e. the Complementary ESSN (C-ESSN). Following a preparatory phase, payments to beneficiaries started in July 2021 and will continue at least until May 2023. The project runs in parallel with the ESSN and provides support to households with single parents, the elderly and the disabled, and severely disabled individuals. The EU Delegation and ECHO field office staff in Ankara meet regularly to coordinate the parallel implementation of the ESSN and the C-ESSN. In 2022, the continuity of the C-ESSN and ESSN38 programmes was assured under the EUR 3 billion in additional refugee support mobilised for 2021-2339.
Additional socio-economic support continues to be provided to refugees able to access the labour market. This support aims to increase refugee employability and provides for vocational and skills training, language training, job counselling, on-the-job training programmes and the simplification of the work permits process to support both Syrian refugees and host communities. Grants to entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship training are provided to both Syrian refugee and host community start-ups and existing entrepreneurs, in cooperation with the Small and Medium-sized Industry Development Organisation of Türkiye (KOSGEB) and the Turkish Development and Investment Bank (TKYB). A further project supports the development and implementation of a female-led social entrepreneurship model to provide sustainable income generating activities for both vulnerable Syrian refugees and Turkish women. Two further projects aim to support employment in agriculture. Projects should run until mid-2025 at the latest. In 2022, the continuity of socio-economic support to refugees was assured under the EUR 3 billion in additional refugee support mobilised in 2021-23.
Migration management
The Facility has funded two projects in this priority area under the first tranche for a total of EUR 80 million. A first project provided EU support to strengthen the capacity of the Turkish Coast Guard to carry out search and rescue operations. The second project aimed to support the Directorate General for Migration Management (DGMM) in its management of returns from the EU. Both projects have been completed.
Gender aspects within projects under the Facility
The EU Gender Action Plan III “Together towards a gender equal world 2021-2025” continues to guide the implementation of interventions under the Facility. The promotion, protection and fulfilment of human rights for women and girls in all their diversity, gender equality and women’s and girls’ empowerment remained priorities in 2022.Gender related considerations were mainstreamed in all Facility projects and continuously monitored through disaggregated data (76 indicators). Gender mainstreaming was combined with dedicated actions developed with implementing partners that have solid experience with the approach and have the capacity to engage in dialogue with the Turkish authorities.
The Facility has played a significant role in enhancing the employability of women. More than 26 000 women have successfully completed short-term vocational skill training, while around 40 000 women have benefitted from employment counselling services. Moreover, advisory or financial support has been extended to around 500 women-owned enterprises.
The Facility has provided valuable Turkish language courses to refugee women. Around 25 000 adult refugee women and 20 000 female students have completed these courses successfully. Furthermore, approximately 55 000 female refugee children have attended pre-primary education made available through the Facility-funded projects. Educational scholarships have also been provided to 15 000 female students. It is noteworthy that almost 50% of the teachers and educational staff engaged by the Facility are women.
Cash transfer programmes have provided equal benefits to refugee women. More than one million women are receiving regular unconditional resource transfers. Moreover, the families of around 400 000 female students have received conditional cash for education support. Separate from cash transfer programmes, about 500 000 refugee women have received protection referral services, while approximately 550 000 refugee women have benefitted from protection services provided through Facility-funded projects.
5. Monitoring & evaluation
Monitoring
The Facility monitoring system is designed to be adapted, refined and improved throughout its lifetime. In 2022, reporting on Facility achievements continued to be based on the updated Facility Results Framework40 and the Theory of Change41. Two Facility Monitoring Reports (FMR) were published in 2022 – in June and December - and can be accessed on the DG NEAR website42. The FMR covering the period to December 2022 is due in June 2023.
The Commission continues to be supported by a technical assistance team (SUMAF43) in its Facility monitoring and reporting tasks. By end 2022, 239 monitoring missions had been completed and six results-oriented monitoring missions (ROM), 94 technical assistance missions and 139 on-the-spot checks/monitoring missions had been carried out; 61% of these missions focused on contracts under direct management.44 Facility actions financed under the Humanitarian Implementation Plans (HIPs) also continued to be monitored, with 89 project-level monitoring missions completed in the reporting period.
Evaluation
The Commission has continued to implement the recommendations of the Facility Strategic Mid-Term Evaluation45 published in July 2021.
6. Audit
The European Court of Auditors (ECA) started its second performance audit of the Facility in November 2022. The audit was ongoing at the time of drafting. The Court aims to issue its findings and recommendations in autumn 2023.
7. Communication and visibility
In 2022, activities continued to enhance the visibility of Facility actions to raise the profile of the EU in assisting Türkiye in hosting the refugee population. Priorities included ensuring awareness, visibility and understanding among the general public, the media, policy makers and other stakeholders within the EU, Türkiye and the international community.
Contents
During the first half of 2022, the Head of Delegation carried out four missions to Denizli, Konya, Mardin and Dörtyol to raise the profile of EU actions, attracting substantial interest. Other project-related events include the opening ceremony of the project Empowering the Private Sector to Foster Social and Economic Cohesion in Türkiye-FOSTER in February 2022, the launching of the Social Entrepreneurship, Empowerment and Cohesion in Refugee and Host Communities in Türkiye Project (SEECO) in May, the opening ceremony of the new state hospital in Kilis in June, and the signing ceremony for the Conditional Cash Transfer for Education project in December 2022 marking the official transfer of the CCTE from UNICEF to the Government of Türkiye. The visibility of activities and actions were promoted through press releases.
In 2022, a media trip was organised to visit humanitarian aid projects funded by the EU in Türkiye. This resulted in dedicated publications in European media, including El Pais (ES), ANSA (IT), Publico (PT), Deutsche Welle (DE), ARD (DE), EFE (ES) and NRK (NO). In addition, a large-scale communication campaign was implemented together with IFRC to raise awareness on the ESSN programme. The campaign included successful social media promotions in Germany, Italy, Sweden, Türkiye, Portugal, and Poland.
8. Conclusion and next steps
Important progress in the implementation of the Facility was made in 2022. The full operational envelope of the Facility has been contracted and EUR 5 billion disbursed. The Facility continued to provide much needed assistance to refugees and host communities in Türkiye.
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 the roll-out of Facility-related communication activities
- Organising a Facility Steering Committee in June 2023
- Programming and implementing additional support to refugees and host communities in Türkiye to ensure the sustainability of Facility achievements
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://en.goc.gov.tr/temporary-protection27
4 https://en.goc.gov.tr/irregular-migration
5 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'.
6 www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases">www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases
7 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.
8 https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-11329-2018-INIT/en/pdf
9 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).
10 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 24.9 billion of humanitarian, stabilisation and resilience assistance collectively mobilised since the onset of the crisis in 2011 https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters-homepage/93313/node/93313_en.
11 www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases">www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases
12 According to a new Greek Ministerial Decision, Turkey will be considered as a Safe Third Country for asylum applicants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Syria, Afghanistan and Somalia. Applications from the above nationalities may therefore be deemed inadmissible on this basis, and applicants will be returned to Turkey, where they are deemed to be safe and have the possibility to request refugee status.
13 Commission Decision C(2015) 9500 of 24.11.2015, Article 2 – Objectives of the Facility.
14 See Article 5 (1) of Commission Decision C(2015) 9500, as amended by Commission Decision C(2016)855.
15 https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/sites/near/files/2016_needs_assessment_.pdf
16 https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/sites/near/files/updated_needs_assessment.pdf
17 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.
18 Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/96 concerning humanitarian aid, OJ L163, 2.7.1996, p. 1.
19 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.
20 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.
21 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.
22 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.
23 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.
24 www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases">https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases
25 The balance of EUR 60 million is allocated to administrative and operational support to Facility implementation.
26 https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/system/files/2022-01/Facility%20table_December%202021.pdf
27 Joint Statement by the Council and the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States.
28 Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/96 of 20 June 1996 concerning humanitarian aid.
29 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.
30 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.
31 This figure also includes disbursements under projects implemented by the EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis, but not yet charged to the EU budget.
32 https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/enlargement-policy/negotiations-status/turkey/eu-facility-refugees-turkey_en
33 This includes a EUR 40 million clean energy project under the EUTF (FRIT 1).
34 Promoting Integration of Syrian Kids into the Education System II (PIKTES II)
35 Promoting Inclusive Education for Kids in the Turkish Education System” (PIKTES+)
36 ‘Strengthening Health Infrastructure for All’
37 www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room">https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room
38 Next phase of ESSN programme is planned to be taken over by DG NEAR.
39 Commission Implementing Decision on the financing of the individual measure for the delivery of cash support to the most vulnerable refugees in Türkiye for 2022 and 2023 - C(2022) 7822 final - was adopted on 04/01/2022 and Commission Implementation Decision on the financing of the individual measure to continue support for basic needs and transition to livelihoods opportunities for refugees in Türkiye in 2022 - C(2022) 8887 - was adopted on 07/12/2022.
40 https://neighbourhood-enlargement.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2022-06/Facility%20Results%20Framework_Jun2022.pdf
41 https://neighbourhood-enlargement.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2022-06/Facility%20Theory%20of%20Change_Feb2022.pdf
42 https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/enlargement-policy/negotiations-status/turkey/eu-facility-refugees-turkey_en
43 Technical Assistance to Support the monitoring of Actions financed under the Facility for Refugees in Turkey – IPA/2018/393-877
44 Cumulative figures, from 2017.
45 https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/strategic-mid-term-evaluation-facility-refugees-turkey-2016-201920_en
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