COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL First Annual Report on the Facility for Refugees in Turkey
Date: 2017-03-02
Institutions: Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations, European Commission
Subjects: EU Member State, EU financial instrument, EU migration policy, Türkiye, activity report, aid to refugees, coordination of aid, migrant, migration control, refugee

EN 

   EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 2.3.2017  COM(2017) 130 final   COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL First Annual Report on the Facility for Refugees in Turkey  
 
 
Contents 

1. Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 3 

1.1 Turkey and the refugee crisis ........................................................................................................ 3 

1.2 The EU response to the crisis and the establishment of the Facility ............................................. 4 

2. The functioning of the Facility ............................................................................................................ 5 

3. Financial capacity, duration and nature of funding ............................................................................. 6 

4. Implementation of the Facility ............................................................................................................ 7 

4.1 Humanitarian assistance ................................................................................................................ 8 

4.2 Non-humanitarian assistance ....................................................................................................... 10 

5. Monitoring & evaluation and audit ................................................................................................... 13 

5.1 Monitoring & evaluation ............................................................................................................. 13 

5.2 Audit ............................................................................................................................................ 14 

6. Communication and visibility ........................................................................................................... 14 

7. Conclusion and next steps ................................................................................................................. 15 

2 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1. Introduction 
According  to  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  Commission  is  to  keep  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council  regularly 
informed  about  the  implementation  of  the  Facility  for  Refugees  in  Turkey  (hereinafter  'the 
Facility').  Paragraph  2  of  Article  8  of  the  Decision  commits  the  Commission  to  report 
annually to the European Parliament and to the Council on the implementation of the Facility. 

This  first  Annual  Report  of  the  Facility  describes  the  functioning  of  the  Facility,  its 
implementation, monitoring and evaluation system, communication activities and next steps. 
The  report builds  on  the  reports  on  progress  made  in  the implementation  of  the  EU-Turkey 
Statement  and  the  different  information  notes  issued  within  the  framework  of  the  Steering 
Committee of the Facility. 

The  Report  also  includes  the  review  of  the  financial  capacity,  duration  and  nature  of  the 
funding required according to Article 9(2) of the Decision, see in particular section 3. 

1.1 Turkey and the refugee crisis 

Turkey’s geographical position makes it a prominent reception and transit country for many 
refugees and migrants. As a result of an unprecedented influx mainly due to the Syria conflict, 
the  country  has  been  hosting  the  highest  number  of  refugees  and  migrants  in  the  world, 
numbering  more  than  3  million.  It  includes  2.8  million  registered  Syrian  refugees  of  which 
10% reside in 26 camps established by the Turkish government in the south-east of Turkey, 
while  the  remaining  90%  live  outside  of  camps  in  urban,  peri-urban  and  rural  areas.  To 
receive  and  host  such  high  numbers  of  refugees  and  migrants,  Turkey  has  been  providing 
generous humanitarian and financial support. 

Provincial Breakdown of Syrian Refugees in Turkey, Source: UNHCR, December 2016 

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. 

3 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
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  in  hosting  refugees.  Comprehensive 
cooperation  based  on  shared  responsibility,  mutual  commitments  and  delivery  between  the 
European  Union  and  Turkey  was  agreed  upon  within  the  framework  of  the  29  November 
2015  EU-Turkey  Statement2.  The  summit  of  29  November  2015  activated  the  EU-Turkey 
Joint Action Plan (JAP)3 to help Turkey address the consequences of the Syria conflict. The 
JAP aims to address the current migration crisis in two ways: (1) by supporting Syrians and 
their  Turkish  host  communities,  (2)  by  strengthening  cooperation  to  prevent  irregular 
migration.  It  commits  Turkey  to  continue  to  protect  and  support  Syrians,  including  by 
providing education and health and allowing them to work. 

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  20164.  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 amounting to a total of EUR 3 billion for the period 2016-2017. 
Member States committed politically to providing 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. The Common Understanding also establishes a conditionality framework. The 
EUR  3  billion  is  made  available  in  addition  to  EUR  345  million5  already  allocated  by  the 
Commission to Turkey in response to the Syrian refugee crisis before the start of the Facility 
and is additional to Member States' bilateral aid6. 

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 
crisis7. Turkey and the European Union recognised that further, swift and determined efforts 
were needed. More specifically, the EU-Turkey Statement of 18 March 2016 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  joint  EU-Turkey  efforts  have  delivered  concrete  results.  The  number  of  irregular 
crossings  from  Turkey  to  Greece  has  fallen  dramatically  following  the  activation  of  the 
Statement of 18 March. From 20 March 2016 to 26 February 2017, the average daily arrivals 

2 http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/international-summit/2015/11/29/  
3 http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-15-5860_fr.htm  
4  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. 
5 Funding mobilised in the years 2013-2015 under the different external financing instruments, namely HUMA, 
IPA  and  IcSP,  including  a  number  of  actions  implemented  by  the  EU  Trust  Fund  in  Response  to  the  Syrian 
Crisis.  
6 In the region, EU and Member States mobilised collectively more than EUR 9.4 billion since 2011; of which 
EUR 3.9 billion from the EU budget.   
7 http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2016/03/18-eu-turkey-statement/ 

4 

 
 
                                                            
on the Greek islands were 848. The number of fatalities and missing persons recorded in the 
Aegean  Sea  from  1  April  2016  to  23  February  2017  was  709.  While  every  such  death  is  a 
tragedy, this represents a substantial fall in the number of lives lost. A key component of the 
EU-Turkey Statement was to create legal pathways for migrants seeking protection in the EU. 
Resettlements from Turkey to the EU are ongoing at an accelerated pace; from the activation 
of the Statement to 27 February 2017, 3 565 Syrian refugees have been resettled from Turkey 
to Europe10. Both sides are committed to continuing and improving cooperation. 

2. The functioning of the Facility  

The  Facility  for  Refugees  in  Turkey  is  a  coordinating  mechanism  that  allows  for  the  swift, 
effective  and  efficient  mobilisation  of  EU  assistance  to  refugees  in  Turkey.  The  Facility 
ensures  the  optimal  mobilisation  of  relevant  existing  EU  financing  instruments,  either  as 
humanitarian assistance or non-humanitarian assistance, to ensure that the needs of refugees 
and host communities are addressed in a comprehensive and coordinated manner11. 

The Steering Committee of the Facility provides strategic guidance on the overall priorities, 
the type of actions to be supported, the amounts to be allocated and the financing instruments 
to be mobilised, as well as, when appropriate, on the conditions relating to the implementation 
by  Turkey  of  its  commitments  under  the  EU-Turkey  Joint  Action  Plan12.  The  Steering 
Committee  is  chaired  by  the  Commission  and  composed  of  two  representatives  of  the 
Commission and one representative of each Member State with Turkey sitting in an advisory 
capacity13. 

During  the  first  year  of  implementation  of  the  Facility,  five  Steering  Committee  meetings 
were  held,  on  17  February,  12  May,  30  June,  4  October  2016  and  12  January  2017.  The 
Commission should convene the 6th Steering Committee meeting on 31 March 2017. 

In  line  with  Article  3  (2)  of  the  Commission  Decision  establishing  the  Facility,  the  second 
Steering  Committee  of  12  May  2016  agreed  that  the  Facility  should  focus  on  six  priority 
areas:  (1)  humanitarian  assistance,  (2)  migration  management,  (3)  education,  (4)  health,  (5) 
municipal infrastructure and (6) socio-economic support. The key principles guiding Facility 
implementation  are  speed,  efficiency  and  effectiveness  while  ensuring  sound  financial 
management.  Sustainability  of  Facility  interventions  is  also  important,  as  is  the  shared 
ownership  with  the  Turkish  authorities.  The  identification  of  priority  areas  for  Facility 
assistance  is  based  on  a  comprehensive  and  independent  needs  assessment14  which  was 
presented to the Steering Committee in June 2016.  

The Facility coordinates financing from the following external financing instruments: Council 
Regulation  (EC)  No  1257/96  concerning  humanitarian  aid  (HUMA)15,  the  European 
Neighbourhood  Instrument  (ENI)16,  the  Development  Cooperation  Instrument  (DCI)17,  the 

8 Source: European Border and Coast Guard Agency. 
9 Source: International Organisation for Migration. 
10 Source: Structural Reform Support Service. 
11 Commission Decision C(2015) 9500 of 24.11.2015, Article 2 – Objectives of the Facility.  
12 See Article 5 (1) of Commission Decision C(2015) 9500, as amended by Commission Decision C(2016)855. 
13  See  Article  5  (1)  and  (2)  of  Commission  Decision  C(2015)  9500,  as  amended  by  Commission  Decision 
C(2016)855. 
14 http://avrupa.info.tr/fileadmin/Content/2016__April/160804_NA_report__FINAL_VERSION.pdf  
15 OJ L163, 2.7.1996, p. 1. 
16  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. 

5 

 
 
 
                                                            
Instrument  for  Pre-Accession  Assistance  (IPA  II)18  and  the  Instrument  contributing  to 
Stability and Peace (IcSP)19. Measures to be financed by the Union's budget are implemented 
in accordance with its financial rules and regulations – which includes both direct and indirect 
management and implementation by the EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian 
Crisis (EUTF)20. 

Implementation  of  assistance  is  conditional  upon  strict  compliance  by  Turkey  with 
undertakings  reflected  in  the  EU-Turkey  Joint  Action  Plan,  and  the  EU-Turkey  Statements 
from 29 November 2015 and 18 March 2016. 

3. Financial capacity, duration and nature of funding 

The total budget coordinated by the Facility is EUR 3 billion to be contracted in the period 
2016-2017.  This  is  made  up  of  EUR  1  billion  from  the  EU  budget,  and  EUR  2  billion  in 
additional funding from the Member States21. Member States' contributions are made directly 
to  the  EU  General  Budget  in  the  form  of  external  assigned  revenue  pursuant  to  Article 
21(2)(b)  of  the  Financial  Regulation  and  assigned  to  the  IPA  II  and  HUMA  budget  lines 
respectively. Of the EUR 1 billion from the EU budget, EUR 250 million was mobilised in 
2016 and EUR 750 million is set aside for the Facility in the 2017 budget.  

The Facility is financed from the following sources: 

2016 

2017 

Total (in million €) 

EU BUDGET 

Humanitarian Aid 

165 

145 

Non-Humanitarian Aid 

IPA 

DCI 

IcSP 

Subtotal Non-humanitarian aid 

Total 

55* 

10 

20 

85 

250 

595 

10 

0 

605 

750 

ASSIGNED REVENUE FROM MS 

* of which EUR 18 million transferred to IPA II from the ENI 

310 

650 

20 

20 

690 

1000 

2 000 

The Commission concluded contribution agreements with all Member States concerning their 
national contributions for the combined total of EUR 2 billion pursuant to Article 7 (2) of the 
Rules of Application of the Financial Regulation. Member States paid the first annual tranche 
in 2016 for a total amount of EUR 678 million, out of which EUR 575 million or some 85 % 

17  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. 
18 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. 
19  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. 
20 https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/neighbourhood/countries/syria/madad_en 
21 The total distribution of Member States' contribution is available at 
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2016/02/03-refugee-facility-for-turkey/  

6 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                                                                                                                                                          
has been disbursed; of which EUR 292 million under IPA and EUR 283 million under ECHO 
(HUMA)22. 

There  is  so  far  a  satisfactory  match  between,  on  the  one  hand,  the  pace  of  Member  States' 
payments  of  their  contributions  into  the  Facility  and,  on  the  other  hand,  the  pace  of 
disbursements financed by those contributions from the Facility. 

The distribution of Member States' payments to the Facility is the following23: 

Member States' payments to the Facility (in million €)             

2016 (paid) 

678 

2017 

846 

2018 

396 

2019 

80 

Total 2016-2019 

2000 

At the end of 2016, the deadline for final payments under the Facility was extended from the 
end of 2019 to the end of 2021 for technical reasons to allow for the signing of some longer-
term  contracts  foreseen  in  the  Special  Measure  adopted  in  July  2016.  For  example,  for 
infrastructure  works,  the  final  payment  can  only  be  made  after  formal  reception  of  works 
which requires a longer deadline. Further to discussions in the fourth Steering Committee and 
in  Coreper24,  modified  letters  of  acknowledgement  of  receipt  were  issued  in  December 
201625.  This  extension  will  have  no  negative  impact  on  the  speed  of  contracting  nor  with 
regards to the implementation of the activities concerned, and will not impact the timing  of 
the payments of the Member States nor of the Commission into the Facility. 

4. Implementation of the Facility 

The Facility is implemented as humanitarian and non-humanitarian assistance, with EUR 1.4 
billion and EUR 1.6 billion indicatively allocated to the respective strands. 

EUR 1.6 billion 

EUR 1.4 billion 

Humanitarian assistance

Non-humanitarian
assistance

Humanitarian assistance supports the most vulnerable refugees (and other persons of concern) 
through predictable and dignified support addressing basic needs and protection.  

22 Being external assigned revenue, the contributions not implemented in a given year are automatically carried 
over to the following year as long as the action to which they are assigned is being carried out. 
23 Including voluntary advance payments from three Member States 
24 26 October 2016.  
25 Article 2(1) of the amended letters now reads: “The Commission may only enter into legal commitments until 
31st December 2017. Payments, to honour these legal commitments, must be executed by 31st December 2021. 

7 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
 Non-humanitarian  assistance  supports  the  longer-term  livelihoods,  socio-economic  and 
educational  perspectives  of  refugees.  It  aims  to  help  children  with  access  to  primary  and 
secondary  education  and  improvements  to  educational  infrastructure,  including  school 
buildings and learning materials. It also focuses on exposed groups, e.g. by protecting women 
against  sexual  and  gender  based  violence  and  improving  access  to  sexual  and  reproductive 
health care.     
The January 2017 Steering Committee meeting recognised, based on the 4th report on progress 
made in the implementation of the EU-Turkey Statement26,  that the EU-Turkey Statement – 
albeit fragile – continued to deliver and acknowledged that there was continued good progress 
in the implementation of the Facility.  

By  the  end  of  February  2017,  the  total  amount  allocated  under  the  Facility  to  both 
humanitarian and non-humanitarian assistance had reached EUR 2.2 billion27. Out of the total 
allocated, 39 projects had been contracted for a total of EUR 1.5 billion, or half the Facility 
envelope.  Out  of  the  total  contracted,  EUR  750  million28  had  been  disbursed,  which  is 
testimony to the swift and efficient implementation of the Facility. Facility funding continues 
to have a direct impact on the ground, for refugees and host communities29. 

Most  Facility  implementation  takes  place  out-of-camp,  mainly  in  the  ten  most  affected 
provinces:  Sanliurfa,  Hatay,  Gaziantep,  Adana,  Mersin,  Kilis,  Mardin,  Kahramanmaras, 
Osmaniye and Istanbul. 

4.1 Humanitarian assistance 
EU humanitarian aid is guided by the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid of 200730, 
which  notably  provides  that  the  EU  as  a  humanitarian  actor  adheres  to  the  humanitarian 
principles  of  humanity,  neutrality,  impartiality,  and  independence.  The  Lisbon  Treaty 
established  a  specific  legal  base  for  humanitarian  aid  (Article  214  TFEU),  while  the 
Humanitarian Aid Regulation (HAR; No. 1257/96)31 lays down the operational framework for 
EU  humanitarian  aid.  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 
(FAFA)  with 
international  organisations  and  Framework  Partnership  Agreements  (FPAs)  with  non-
governmental organisations.  

From the EUR 1.4 billion mobilised under the humanitarian strand of the Facility, EUR 595 
million has been allocated to date. Of this, EUR 551 million has been contracted, through 28 
humanitarian  projects  with  19  partners,  covering  the  response  to  basic  needs,  protection, 
education  and  health.  Out  of  the  EUR  551  million  contracted,  EUR  411  million  has  been 

26  COM(2016)  792  final,  Communication  from  the  Commission  to  the  European  Parliament,  the  European 
Council  and  the  Council,  fourth  report  on  the  progress  made  in  the  implementation  of  the  EU-TR  Statement, 
8/12/2016.  
27  This  figure  includes  amounts  for  which  the  Commission  has  adopted  a  financing  decision,  but  for  which  a 
budgetary commitment has not yet been made. Budgetary commitments to date amount to EUR 1.58 billion. 
28  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. 
29 Details on Facility projects available at:  
https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/news_corner/migration_en 
30 Joint Statement by the Council and the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States meeting 
within the Council, the European Parliament and the European Commission (OJ C 25, 30.1.2008).  
31 Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/96 of 20 June 1996 concerning humanitarian aid. 

8 

 
 
 
                                                            
disbursed  to  date.  The  following  contracts  have  been  signed  within  the  framework  of  the 
Facility.  

In  March  2016,  the  EU  awarded  the 
World  Food  Programme  (WFP)  EUR  40 
million  to  help  provide  585  000  refugees 
living  outside  of  camps  and  150  000 
refugees  living  in  refugee  camps  with  e-
cards  which  can  be  redeemed  for  food  at 
designated  shops.  The  WFP  is  working 
closely with the Turkish Red Crescent for 
the  efficient  delivery  of  the  assistance. 
The  refugees  currently  benefitting  from 
the e-cards will gradually be transferred to 
the  Emergency  Social  Safety  Net  (see 
below).  

By  15  April  2016  a  further  EUR  50 
million  were  contracted  in  humanitarian 
aid  to  address  the  immediate  needs  of 

Examples of EU support on health 

care 

health 

Specific  services  in  the  health  sector  covering 
primary 
physical 
rehabilitation/post-operative  care  for  war  wounded 
people,  assistance  to  people  living  with  disabilities, 
mental  health  services  and  reproductive  health  are 
being supported. 

assistance, 

517  864  health  care  consultations  have  been 
conducted.  

276  Syrian  doctors  and  175  Syrian  nurses  received 
training.  

Seven  migrant  health  centres  have  opened  and 
started delivering practical training for Syrian health 
professionals. 

Education in Emergencies 

priority 

Education  in  Emergencies  has 
also  been  identified  as  one  of 
the 
for 
humanitarian  aid.  This  is  done 
through  support  to  non-formal 
school 
education 
transportation.  

areas 

and 

children 

9 380 
provided 
transportation. 

with 

are  being 
school 

In addition, the Commission is 
working  to  provide  Education 
assistance  through  the  ESSN, 
aimed  at  increasing  enrolment 
and  improving  attendance  for 
the most vulnerable children. 

refugees  in  Turkey.  The  15  humanitarian  organisations 
funded  under  this  allocation  include  the  Danish  Refugee 
Council, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 
the  International  Medical  Corps  UK  and  the  International 
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFCR), 
who  are  working  in  close  cooperation  with  Turkish  partner 
organisations.  The  projects  address  all  major  humanitarian 
concerns, providing food assistance, help in the form of cash 
and  vouchers,  specialised  assistance  for  winter,  access  to 
health  services,  education  for  refugee  children,  protection, 
information  management,  and  specialised  help  for  persons 
with  disabilities,  as  well  as  mental  health  and  psychosocial 
support. 

In  June  2016,  the  Commission  published  the  Humanitarian 
Implementation Plan for Turkey (HIP)32, for a total amount of 
EUR 505.65 million.  

In July 2016, EUR 74 million was contracted under the HIP 
for projects in the sectors of primary health care, non-formal 

education, preparations for the upcoming winter and protection.  

On  26  September  2016,  the  Commission  launched  the  flagship  of  the  humanitarian 
component  of  the  Facility  –  the  Emergency  Social  Safety  Net  (ESSN)  –  together  with  the 
Turkish  authorities  and  the  partner  organisations  implementing  the  scheme.  It  is  the  EU's 
largest-ever humanitarian programme, with an initial budget of EUR 348 million33, and aims 
at providing the most vulnerable refugees with monthly cash transfers onto an electronic debit 
card to help them cover their basic needs. A monthly cash grant is electronically uploaded on 

32 Available at http://ec.europa.eu/echo/sites/echo-site/files/hip_turkey_2016.pdf  
33 Contracted to the World Food Programme and its implementing partner the Turkish Red Crescent that works 
in  close  coordination  with  the  Ministry  of  Social  and  Family  Policy  and  AFAD  (Disaster  and  Emergency 
Management Presidency), which reports directly to the Prime Minister and coordinates Turkey's response to the 
refugee crisis. 

9 

 
 
                                                            
cards allowing people to pay for what they need the most, providing them with the dignity of 
choice.  This  electronic  cash  transfer  system  is  not  only  a  very  efficient  way  of  providing 
humanitarian assistance but also stimulates the local economy. 

In December 2016, a contract of EUR 5 million was signed with Mercy Corps in the area of 
protection. The project aims at improving the protective environment for 50 000 refugees by 
enhancing  their  capacities  (self-protection)  and  building  community  safety  nets  to  facilitate 
safe  access  to  services  such  as  health, 
documentation, income support (e.g. ESSN), 
legal  advice,  education,  translation,  and 
transport. 

The Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN) 

The  registration  of  beneficiaries  started  on  28 
November,  and  the  first  cash  distributions 
started at the end of December 2016. At the end 
of  February  2017,  a  total  of  over  250  000 
refugees have already received support through 
the  ESSN  programme.  The  ESSN  aims  at 
progressively covering  one million of the most 
vulnerable refugees in the course of 2017. 

A  EUR  34  million  contract  was  recently 
signed  with  UNICEF  on  Conditional  Cash 
Transfer for Education (CCTE). This project 
will  be  linked  to  the  ESSN,  and  will 
increasing  enrolment  and 
contribute 
improving 
the  most 
vulnerable children. 

attendance 

for 

to 

Before  1  April  2017,  EUR  41.65  million  of  the  remaining  amount  under  the  HIP  will  be 
contracted for projects focusing on protection and health. 

In spring the Commission will publish the 2017 Humanitarian Implementation Plan (HIP) for 
Turkey.  The  first  contracts  and  payments  under  the  2017  HIP  are  expected  in  the  second 
quarter  of  2017.  They  will  focus  on  the  continuation  of  the  humanitarian  strategy,  covering 
protection,  health  and  education  as  well  as  a  second  tranche  for  the  ESSN,  which  will 
continue to account for the majority of the available funding. 

4.2 Non-humanitarian assistance 

The  EUR  1.6  billion  mobilised  under  the  non-humanitarian  strand  of  the  Facility  has  been 
almost  entirely  allocated.  EUR  944  million  has  been  contracted  and  EUR  339  million  has 
been disbursed34. The breakdown of allocations per priority area is as follows: 

34  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. 

10 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
Article 2(1) of the Common Implementing Regulation35 (CIR) applicable to IPA II allows the 
Commission to adopt Special Measures in duly justified cases. Special Measures are adopted 
with  a  favourable  opinion  of  the  IPA  II  Committee  and  communicated  to  the  European 
Parliament and the Member States.  

To date, three Special Measures have been adopted within the framework of the Facility, as 
follows: 

  Special Measure on a contribution to the EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the 

Syrian Crisis (EUTF) for EUR 55 million in March 201636; 

  Special Measure on migrants returned to Turkey for EUR 60 million in April 201637; 
  Special  Measure  on  education,  health,  municipal  infrastructure  and  socio-economic 

support for EUR 1.415 billion in July 201638.  

In accordance with Article 4(1) of the CIR, financial assistance may be provided through the 
following  types  of  financing  a)  grants;  b)  procurement  contracts  for  services,  supplies  or 
works;  c)  general  or  sector  budget  support39;  d)  contributions  to  trust  funds  and  financial 
instruments.  For  the  purpose  of  the  IPA  II  Facility  funds,  Article  4(7)  also  gives  the 
possibility  to  the  Commission  to  implement  the  funds  indirectly  through  e.g.  international 
organisations, Member State bodies or International Financial Institutions (IFIs). 

IPA II funds 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. 
Interventions  can  finance  the  reimbursement  of  pre-agreed,  actually  incurred  and  verifiable 
costs  relating  to  precisely  defined  tasks.  This  also  applies  to  third  parties,  including  IFIs. 
Costs involved in the mobilisation of intermediaries  – if and where appropriate – have been 
kept  to  an  absolute  minimum.  Schemes  and  initiatives  financed  by  resources  coordinated 
under  the  Facility  performing  satisfactorily  could  be scaled  up  and rolled  out  in  accordance 
with  EU  financial  rules  and  the  requirements  of  the  respective  basic  act,  subject,  where 
appropriate, to the relevant comitology committee. 

Grants  are  given  to  implement  specific  actions.  Payments  under  grants  are  made  based  on 
reported  incurred  costs  in  accordance  with  the  general  conditions  of  the  individual  grant 
contract.  These  costs  are  verified  by  external  auditors  before  further  pre-financing  or  final 
payment  takes  place.  Should  any  irregularities  be  detected  or  costs  declared  ineligible,  the 
Commission can recover funds or impose penalties. 

The  Commission's  cooperation  with  the  IFIs  takes  place  within  the  framework  of  indirect 
management  (Financial  Regulation  Articles  60  &  61)  where  the  Commission  entrusts  the 
management  of  the  implementation  to  the  IFI  concerned.  The  Commission  can  delegate 
implementation  responsibilities  to  IFIs  that  have  passed  a  so-called  pillar  assessment.  The 
purpose  of  such  pillar  assessment  is  to  confirm  compliance  of  the  IFIs'  systems  with 
requirements under the EU Financial Regulation. In one specific case, cooperation takes place 

35 Regulation (EU) No 236/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2014. 
36 C(2016) 1489 COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION of 7.3.2016 adopting a Special Measure on the 
contribution to the European Union Regional Trust Fund in response to the Syrian crisis, to be financed from the 
general budget of the European Union. 
37  C(2016)  2435  COMMISSION  IMPLEMENTING  DECISION  of  19.4.2016  adopting  a  Special  Measure  on 
migrants returned to Turkey, to be financed from the general budget of the European Union. 
38  C(2016)  4999  COMMISSION  IMPLEMENTING  DECISION  of  28.7.2016  adopting  a  Special  Measure  on 
education,  health,  municipal  infrastructure  and  socio-economic  support  to  refugees  in  Turkey,  to  be  financed 
from the General Budget of the European Union for the years 2016 and 2017 
39 Budget support is however not foreseen under the Facility.  

11 

 
 
                                                            
within the framework of direct management in the form of a direct grant where the IFI itself is 
implementing funds under the Facility40. 

The first Special Measure under the Facility was adopted in March 2016 and contributed EUR 
55  million  to  the  EUTF.  Contracts  for  the  first  Facility-funded  projects  were  signed  on  4 
March 201641. On non-humanitarian aid, it consists of one project on education, worth EUR 
37 million, and implemented by UNICEF. Its results achieved so far are presented in the box 
for illustration purposes42.  

The  Facility  has  continued  to  support  a  series  of  bottom-up  measures  to  help  refugees  in 
Turkey. To date five projects, for a total of EUR 64.4 million have been contracted through 
the EUTF, mainly on socio-economic support, education and higher education. An additional 
package of EUTF projects is under preparation. 
Example  of  results  achieved 
with UNICEF 

In  April  2016,  EUR  60  million  was  mobilised  under  a 
second  Special  Measure,  which  provides  support  to  cover 
the  costs  incurred  in  receiving  and  hosting  migrants  who 
have been returned from Greece to Turkey under the EU-
Turkey Statement of 18 March 2016. The Special Measure 
is  implemented  through  a  direct  grant  to  the  Turkish 
Directorate  General  for  Migration  Management  (DGMM) 
and  eligible  expenditure  is  based  on  actual  costs  incurred 
and paid, effective as from 4 April 2016. 

A contract of EUR 20 million financed under the IcSP was 
signed  in  August  with  the  International  Organisation  for 
Migration  (IOM)  to  develop  the  capacities  of  the  Turkish 
Coast Guard for search and rescue operations. 

Further to discussions at the second Steering Committee of 
the  Facility  and  approval  by  the  IPA  Management 
Committee,  the  Commission  adopted  the  third  Special 
Measure on education, health, municipal infrastructure and 
socio-economic support  with  a  budget of EUR  1.4 billion 
on 28 July 2016. 

60 000 children benefiting 
from educational materials  

7 950 Syrian teachers and other 
education personnel receiving 
incentives  

2 081 teachers and other 
education personnel trained 

10 392 children benefiting 
from psychosocial and social 
cohesion programmes  

44 337 children benefited from 
peer information and support 
sessions from youth leaders  

6 adolescents and youth spaces 
established  

9 NGOs capacitated on 
implementing social cohesion 
and peacebuilding activities 

Under  the  third  Special  Measure  two  direct  grants  were 
signed in September for a duration of two years. Under the 
first  contract  –  for  EUR  300  million  –  with  the  Turkish 
Ministry  of  National  Education,  500  000  Syrian  children 
will get access to formal education, and receive stationary, 
course  books  and  school  uniforms.  From  these  students, 
360 000  will  receive  Turkish  language  training;  40  000 
Arabic  language  training;  10  000  catch-up,  20  000 
additional back-up training and 40 000 will be transported to school.  

9 888 adolescent and youth 
benefiting from awareness 
raising activities 

3 child protection units 
established 

40  The  third  Special  Measure  of  July  2016  foresees  a  direct  grant  to  International  Finance  Corporation  (IFC) 
worth EUR 5 million.  
41 http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-16-584_en.htm  
42 EUTF/ UNICEF project (Ref. SC150526) "Generation Found"; Results achieved and presented in the box are 
reported  against  the  logframe  of  the  UNICEF's  project  (action-level  reporting).  However,  the  Facility-level 
reporting on the achievements of results will be based on the agreed Facility Results Framework that captures 
only the representative indicators from different Facility interventions.  

12 

 
 
 
                                                            
The  second  contract  –  also  of  EUR  300  million  –  with  the  Ministry  of  Health  will  provide 
around two million refugees with access to primary healthcare  services through the creation 
and  operationalisation  of  healthcare  facilities,  and  will  make  rehabilitative  mental  health 
services  available  for  up  to  one  million  refugees  in  Turkey.  In  addition,  family  planning, 
prevention  of  communicable  diseases,  recruitment  and  training  of  healthcare  staff  and 

outreach activities will be provided. 

Training under the direct grant on 
education 
Since  October  2016,  5  200  Turkish 
language  teachers  have  been  recruited  and 
trained.  1800 
school  principals  have 
received  training  on  the  integration  of 
Syrian students into the school system. 

In  addition  to  these  grants  two  contracts  for  a 
total of EUR 200 million were signed with KfW 
and  the  World  Bank  in  December  2016.  These 
contracts  provide  for 
the  construction  and 
equipment of 70 new schools in provinces with a 
high  concentration  of  Syrian  refugees.  The 
construction  and  equipping  of  these  schools 
should  benefit  50  000  Syrian  children.  The 
contracts should also increase the implementation and management capacity of the Ministry 
of National Education43. 

Additional Facility interventions in the area of socio-economic support, municipal and health-
related infrastructure should be signed during the first half of 2017. Relevant contracts should 
be implemented with the help of International Financial Institutions.  

The third Special Measure of July 2016 also provided for a project preparation facility (PPF). 
The objective of PPF, which has  a maximum  budget  of EUR 25  million, is to  help identify 
and  articulate  future  investment  projects  in  priority  areas  –  health,  education  and  municipal 
infrastructure  –  in  the  target  provinces  in  Turkey.  The  Commission  is  currently  reviewing 
applications  submitted  to  the  PPF  and  should  follow-up  with  the  IFIs  concerned  in 
consultation  with  the  Turkish  authorities.  The  aim  is  to  sign  contracts  by  spring  2017. 
Selected interventions should develop into a solid pipeline of investment projects that should 
be ready for contracting and implementation by early 2018. 

5. Monitoring & evaluation and audit 

5.1 Monitoring & evaluation 

As a coordinating mechanism, the Facility provides for the funding of a variety of actions in a 
variety of priority areas, which are implemented via different EU instruments, with the help of 
a variety of partners. This  key characteristic of the Facility has determined the set-up of the 
Facility's monitoring and evaluation (M&E). The Facility requires a framework that is able to 
measure  the  results  achieved  by  Facility-funded  interventions  irrespective  of  the  instrument 
mobilised. The Facility Results Framework is designed as a management and accountability 
tool  to  allow  reporting  on  progress  both  at  Facility  and  priority  area  level.  It  allows  for  the 
review  of  performance  vis-à-vis  intended  results,  for  programme  adjustments  where 
necessary, and produces tailored information in response to information requests. 

The draft Results Framework was discussed at the Steering Committee meeting of 12 January 
2017. The Results Framework is expected to be finalised in March 2017. The Framework is a 
dynamic document that should allow for continuous review of both relevance and impact of 
Facility funded interventions. 

43 The contracts complement a similar project with KfW funded under the EUTF worth EUR 70 million, which 
falls outside the framework of the Facility. 

13 

 
 
 
                                                            
 
For the monitoring system to become operational, an on-line monitoring platform is foreseen. 
This should facilitate data generation, aggregation and analysis, and enable the visualisation 
of progress on ongoing actions at regular intervals. It should provide dashboards representing 
current  key  figures  and  analysis  of  performance  vis-à-vis  targets  under  various  angles  of 
inquiry.  Monitoring  data  should  be  disaggregated  by  gender,  age  and  disability,  where 
possible and appropriate. As an information portal, the platform should act as a one-stop shop 
for information needs of Facility stakeholders. 

Technical assistance should be mobilised in support of the integration of different components 
of  the  monitoring  mechanism  so  as  to  achieve  an  all-inclusive  Facility-wide  M&E  system. 
This should include a variety of tasks, including technical encoding and operation of the on-
line monitoring platform, the development of monitoring guidelines and monitoring tool, the 
provision of the third-party monitoring for actions funded by through IPA and the IcSP, and 
the  contracting  of  evaluation.  The  system  should  be  fully  operational  by  the  second  half  of 
2017, while transitional measures are progressively foreseen in the meantime. 

5.2 Audit 

Funding under the Facility has been set aside to ensure that contracts signed under the Facility 
are  subject  to  effective  audit  and  where  needed  expenditure  verification.  In  addition,  the 
Facility will be subject to audits and controls by the Commission's Internal Audit Service as 
well  as  by  the  European  Court  of  Auditors  in  line  with  regular  procedures.  The  European 
Parliament and the Council also exercise financial supervision of the Facility as integral part 
of the General Budget of the European Union. 

6. Communication and visibility 

From  the  start  Facility  visibility  and  communication  have  been  given  high  priority  in 
conveying the message of the EU's strong support to refugees in Turkey. In September 2016, 
an  interactive  map  was  created  on  the  dedicated  Facility  webpage44  allowing  for  the 
visualisation of Facility mobilisation in Turkey. The map allows for the location of ongoing 
Facility projects and provides detail on their intended results. The interactive map is managed 
by the Commission and has had considerable impact on social media, including Twitter and 
Facebook. 

As part of the Facility's social media communication, infocards have been created to provide a 
visual description of the Facility mechanism and examples of Facility projects. The infocards 
tell the story of the Facility by putting a human face to EU support to refugees in Turkey. The 
infocards  have  been  published  on  all  EU  social  media  channels,  including  Twitter  and 
Facebook with a considerable number of hits, likes and shares. 

Events  organised  to  highlight  the  Facility's  impact  on  the  ground  include  the  large  media 
event  in  Ankara  in  September  2016  to  launch  the  Emergency  Social  Safety  Net.  The  event 
received  considerable  media  coverage,  both  on  EU,  Turkish  and  international  media,  and 
featured a new video produced and a special ESSN infographic. 

The  EU  Delegation  in  Turkey  has  distributed  information  through  the  network  of  EU 
Information  Centres  and  organised  high-level  visits  to  projects  financed  by  the  Facility.  In 
addition,  it  organised  events  for  refugees  and  host  communities  on  World  Refugee  Day,  as 
well as a photo campaign on social media. These activities reached around 12 million people 
in  Turkey.  In  November  2016,  two  videos  were  created  in  collaboration  with  the  European 
Social  Network  to  showcase  projects  in  the  area  of  health  and  education,  including  child 

44 https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/news_corner/migration_en  

14 

 
 
 
                                                            
protection  and  primary  healthcare  provided  to  refugees,  migrants  and  host  communities  in 
Turkey. 

A  Communication  Strategy  has  been  prepared  to  ensure  a  comprehensive  and  coherent 
approach to Facility-related communication by the Commission and other stakeholders. The 
strategy  provides  for  an  overall  framework  for  communication  and  information  activities 
under  the  Facility,  aims  to  enhance  Facility  visibility,  and  raises  the  profile  of  the  EU  as 
delivering on its commitment to assist Turkey in hosting the largest refugee population in the 
world.  Target  audiences  include  refugees  and  host  communities,  Turkish  citizens  and  the 
Turkey  government,  EU  citizens  and  Member  States  and  the  international  community. 
Communication activities foreseen should progressively integrate and focus on the results of 
Facility implementation on the ground. 

7. Conclusion and next steps 

Implementation of the Facility is progressing well. The next steps are the following:  

  Swift  contracting  of  all  actions  that  have  been  programmed  -    including  the  remaining 
their  effective 
the  2016  Humanitarian  Implementation  Plan  -  and 

amount  of 
implementation in line with the principles of sound financial management.  

  Implementation of the Facility Project Preparation Facility in spring 2017. 

  Publication  of  the  2017  Humanitarian  Implementation  Plan  in  spring  and  conclusion  of 

first contracts in the second quarter of 2017. 

  Operationalisation of the Facility monitoring and evaluation system by summer 2017. 

  Roll-out of Facility communication activities.  

  Holding of Steering Committees at regular interval. Next meeting is planned for 31 March 

2017. 

15