COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Second Annual Report on the Facility for Refugees in Turkey
Date: 2018-03-14
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, 14.3.2018 COM(2018) 91 final  COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Second Annual Report on the Facility for Refugees in Turkey   
 
 
Table of 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 ............................................................................................... 6 
4.1 Humanitarian assistance ................................................................................................... 7 
4.2 Non-humanitarian assistance ............................................................................................ 9 
5. Monitoring & evaluation and audit ...................................................................................... 11 
5.1 Monitoring & evaluation ................................................................................................ 11 
5.2 Audit ............................................................................................................................... 12 
6. Communication and visibility .............................................................................................. 12 
7. Conclusion and next steps .................................................................................................... 13 

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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 2017. It described 
the  functioning  of  the  Facility,  the  first  actions  undertaken  in  view  of  its  implementation, 
monitoring, the evaluation system, as well as related communication activities.  

1.1 Turkey and the refugee crisis 
Turkey’s  geographical  position  makes  it  a  prominent  reception  and  transit  country  for 
refugees and migrants. As a result of an unprecedented influx mainly due to the conflicts in 
Syria  and  Iraq,  the  country  has  been  hosting  over  3.8  million  refugees  and  migrants,  the 
highest number in the world. This includes 3.5 million registered Syrian refugees2, of whom 
less  than 7%  reside in the 21 camps established by the Turkish government, and more than 
300,000  registered  refugees  and  asylum  seekers  mainly  from  Iraq,  Afghanistan,  Iran  and 
Somalia3. A breakdown of refugees and asylum seekers per province can be found in the map 
on  page  34.  This  influx  has  had  a  significant  impact  on  the  host  communities.  Turkey 
continues to make commendable efforts in receiving, supporting and hosting high numbers of 
refugees and migrants. 

for 

General 

Migration 

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  3,506,532  "Syrians  under  Temporary  Protection"  were  registered  on  8  February  2018,  source  Turkish 
Directorate 
http://www.goc.gov.tr/icerik6/temporary-
protection_915_1024_4748_icerik   
3 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". 
4  Source:  the  United  Nations  High  Commissioner  for  Refugees  and  the  Directorate  General  for  Migration 
Management, author: the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, figures on 7 December 2017. The 
designations employed and the presentation of material on this map do not imply the expression of any opinion 
whatsoever on the part of the European Union concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or 
of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. 

Management: 

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  to  host  refugees.  A  comprehensive 
cooperation  based  on  shared  responsibility,  mutual  commitments  and  delivery  between  the 
European Union and Turkey was agreed within the framework of the 29 November 2015 and 
18 March 2016 EU-Turkey Statements5. The meeting of Heads of State or Government with 
Turkey  on  29  November  2015  activated  the  EU-Turkey  Joint  Action  Plan6  to  help  Turkey 
address the consequences of the Syria conflict.  

In  answer  to  the  call  from  EU  Member  States  for  significant  additional  funding  to  support 
refugees in Turkey, the Commission decided on 24 November 2015 to establish the Facility 
for  Refugees  in  Turkey7.  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 2016-20178. 

This contribution complements and scales up substantially the existing funding under the EU 
Regional  Trust  Fund  in  Response  to  the  Syrian  Crisis9  (EU  Trust  Fund),  the  Instrument 
contributing  to  Stability  and  Peace,  the  European  Instrument  for  Democracy  and  Human 
Rights, and the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance national programmes, which allowed 
to frontline the work on refugee related matters with key partners. 

The  implementation  of  the  18  March  2016  EU-Turkey  Statement  (hereafter  'the  Statement') 
played a key role in the course of 2017 in ensuring that the migration challenge is addressed 
effectively  and  jointly  by  the  EU  and  Turkey.  The  Statement  continues  to  deliver  concrete 
results in reducing irregular and dangerous crossings and in saving lives in the Aegean Sea. 
Overall,  41,720  migrants  arrived  via  the  Eastern  Mediterranean  route  to  the  EU  in  2017, 
compared to 182,227 in 2016. The number of lives lost at sea has been significantly reduced, 
with 62 persons lost at sea in 2017, compared to 434 in 2016. 

Resettlements from Turkey to the EU are ongoing at an accelerated pace; from 4 April 2016 
to 14 February 2018, 12,170 Syrian refugees have been resettled from Turkey to Europe10. As 
for the Voluntary Humanitarian Admissions Scheme, with the Standard Operating Procedures 
endorsed  by  Member  States  in  December  2017,  it  should  be  activated.  All  elements  and 
conditions are now in place for activation, as set out in the EU-Turkey Statement. This will 
ensure the continuation of resettlements and provide a safe and legal alternative to irregular 
migration to the EU. 

The  full  and  sustained  implementation  of  the  Statement  requires  continuous  efforts  and 
political determination from all sides.  

5 http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/international-summit/2015/11/29/; 
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2016/03/18/eu-turkey-statement/  
6 http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-15-5860_fr.htm  
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  Since  2011,  the  EU  and  Member  States  mobilised  collectively  almost  EUR  10.4  billion  in  response  to  the 
Syrian crisis; of which EUR 4.8 billion from the EU Budget. 
9 https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/neighbourhood/countries/syria/madad_en  
10 Source: Structural Reform Support Service. 

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2. The functioning of the Facility  

The  Facility  is  a  coordination  mechanism  that  allows  for  the  swift,  effective  and  efficient 
mobilisation  of  EU  assistance  to  refugees  in  Turkey.  The  Facility  ensures  the  optimal 
mobilisation of existing EU financing instruments, 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. During the second 
year of implementation of the Facility, four Steering Committee meetings took place, on 12 
January,  31  March,  28  June  and  8  November  2017.  The  Commission  convened  the  9th 
Steering  Committee  meeting  on  9  March  2018  and  the  next  meeting  is  planned  for  spring 
2018. 

The  key  principles  guiding  the  Facility's  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 assessment13, with particular attention paid to vulnerable groups. 

The Facility coordinates financing from the following external financing instruments: Council 
Regulation  (EC)  No  1257/96  concerning  humanitarian  aid14,  the  European  Neighbourhood 
Instrument15,  the  Development  Cooperation  Instrument16,  the  Instrument  for  Pre-accession 
Assistance  17  and  the  Instrument  contributing  to  Stability  and  Peace  18.  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  involves  the  EU 
Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis. The breakdown of Facility projects per 
EU instrument19 is as follows:  

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 http://avrupa.info.tr/fileadmin/Content/2016__April/160804_NA_report__FINAL_VERSION.pdf  
14 OJ L163, 2.7.1996, p. 1. 
15  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.  
16  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. 
17 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. 
18  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. 
19  The  European  Neighbourhood  Instrument  and  the  Development  Cooperation  Instrument  contributions  were 
respectively transferred to and implemented under the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance and the EU Trust 
Fund. 

5 

 
 
                                                            
43% 

46% 

1% 

10% 

ECHO
EUTF
FPI/IcSP
IPA

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 in the period 2016-2017 is EUR 3 billion. This 
consists  of  EUR  1  billion  from  the  EU  budget,  and  EUR  2  billion  from  the  Member  States 
funding20.  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 budget lines of the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance and humanitarian 
aid. Of the EUR 1 billion from the EU budget, EUR 250 million was mobilised in 2016 and 
EUR 750 million in 2017.  

Member States paid EUR 677 million to the Facility in 2016 and 847 million in 2017, out of 
which EUR 1,332 million or some 87 % had been disbursed at the end of 201721. For 2018 
and 2019, the distribution of Member States' payments will be respectively EUR 396 million 
and EUR 80 million.  

At  the  end  of  2016  and  further  to  discussions  in  the  fourth  Steering  Committee  and  in  the 
Committee of the Permanent Representatives of the Governments of the Member States to the 
European  Union,  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 the signature of some longer-
term contracts provided for in the Special Measure adopted in July 2016. This extension will 
have  no  negative  impact  on  the  implementation  of  the  activities  concerned,  and  will  not 
impact the timing of the payments of the Member States nor those of the Commission into the 
Facility. 

There  is  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. 

4. Implementation of the Facility 

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

20 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/. 
21 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. 

6 

 
 
 
                                                            
54% 

46% 

Humanitarian
Assistance

Non-
humanitarian
Assistance

Humanitarian assistance supports the most vulnerable refugees and other persons of concern 
through  the  provision  of  predictable  and  dignified  support  addressing  basic  needs  and 
protection.  It  also  addresses  gaps  in  service  provision  through  specialised  agencies  and 
partners in health and education in emergencies. 

Non-humanitarian  assistance  supports  the  longer-term  livelihoods,  socio-economic,  health 
and educational perspectives of refugees. It also focuses on vulnerable groups, e.g. protection 
of women and girls against sexual and gender based violence and improving access to sexual 
and reproductive health care.  

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

From an operational perspective, the full Facility envelope of EUR 3 billion was committed 
and contracted22 through 72 projects23 by the end of 2017. Disbursements reached more than 
EUR 1.85 billion24, or 62% of the total envelope, with the balance to be paid in the course of 
implementation of Facility projects, and no later than by the end of 2021. Full details can be 
obtained from the online projects table25. 

Assistance  is  available  throughout  the  country,  but  most  of  the  implementation  takes  place 
out-of-camp,  mainly  in  the  ten  most  affected  provinces  -  Istanbul,  Sanliurfa,  Hatay, 
Gaziantep, Mersin, Adana, Bursa, Kilis, Izmir, and Kahramanmaras26.  

4.1 Humanitarian assistance 
EU humanitarian aid is guided by the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid of 200727, 
which provides that the EU as a humanitarian actor adheres to the humanitarian principles of 
humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, as set out in the Lisbon Treaty (Article 
214    of  the  Treaty  on  the  Functioning  of  the  EU)  and  in  the  Humanitarian  Aid  Regulation 
(No. 1257/96)2829.  

22 In line with the Financial Regulation, administrative expenditure and technical support, as well as monitoring, 
evaluation and audit, may be contracted beyond 2017. 
23 For one project the countersignature is still pending. 
24  Including  amounts  paid  by  the  EU  Regional  Trust  Fund  in  Response  to  the  Syrian  Crisis  but  not  yet 
reimbursed by the EU budget. 
25 https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/news_corner/migration_en 
26 The distribution of Syrian refugees per province is available at: http://www.goc.gov.tr/icerik6/temporary-
protection_915_1024_4748_icerik  
27 Joint Statement by the Council and the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States meeting 
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 . The framework for cooperation between the Commission and its partners in the area of 

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Under the humanitarian strand of the Facility, EUR 1.389 billion has been allocated and all 45 
humanitarian projects have been  contracted with 19 partners, covering the response to basic 
needs,  protection,  education,  and  health.  EUR  1.11  billion  has  been  disbursed  to  date, 
benefiting  a  total  of  1,561,940  refugees30.  The  Humanitarian  Implementation  Plan  was 
published in May 201731. Some of the main Facility humanitarian aid achievements in 201732 
can be found below. 

The Emergency Social Safety Net 

The  EU  has  continued  to  address  the  needs  of  refugees  with  high  socio-economic 
vulnerability  via  the  Emergency  Social  Safety  Net.  The  latter  is  a  humanitarian  social 
assistance  programme  consisting  of  a  single  debit  card  that  delivers  monthly,  unrestricted, 
multi-purpose  cash.  As  of  February  2018,  almost  1.2  million  refugees  had  benefited  from 
monthly cash-transfers through the programme. Furthermore, Turkey's Directorate General of 
Migration  Management  has,  with  support  from  the  Facility,  verified  the  data  for  over  one 
million Syrians under Temporary Protection living in Turkey. This exercise helps Turkey, the 
EU and its partners to provide better targeted support to those in need of protection. 

Education in emergencies 

The EU has continued to facilitate access for refugee populations to formal education systems 
by reducing barriers and providing the means for at-risk children to be able to go to school. 
The  Conditional  Cash  Transfer  for  Education  programme  was  launched  in  2017  and  is  the 
largest  ever  programme  financed  by  the  EU  on  education  in  emergencies.  As  of  February 
2018,  the  families  of  over  266,000  children  attending  school  received  financial  support 
through the Conditional Cash Transfer for Education programme. Furthermore, an average of 
6,683  children  per  month  benefited  from  school  transportation  support  and  3,487  refugee 
children benefited from non-formal education activities. Such activities include provision of 
non-formal  education  courses  in  Turkish  and/or  Arabic,  home  learning  initiatives  and 
homework clubs. These programmes will facilitate the children's entrance to formal education 
at their age-appropriate grade. 

Health 

The EU has focused on filling potential gaps in primary health care service provision as well 
as providing services specifically needed by refugees and other persons of concern. A total of 
311,447  primary  health  care  consultations  were  delivered  to  refugees  in  the  most  refugee 
populated provinces. In addition, 17,913 pregnant women benefited from ante and post-natal 
care services, 4,912 refugees benefited from mental health care and psycho-social support and 
5,228 refugees benefited from post-operative and rehabilitative services from January to end 
December 2017.  

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  Including  both  refugees  which  benefited  from  the  Emergency  Social  Safety  Net  as  well  as  previous  similar 
programmes. 
31 Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/echo/sites/echo-site/files/hip_turkey_2017_ver_2.pdf  
32 Refugees may have received more than one service and the total figures do not account for overlap. 

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4.2 Non-humanitarian assistance 

Under the non-humanitarian strand of the Facility, EUR 1.611 billion has been allocated, all 
27 projects have been contracted33 and EUR 747 million has been disbursed34.  

The  programming  and  contracting  faced  a  number  of  challenges  in  the  area  of  municipal 
infrastructure, especially as concerns the inclusion of credit and loan elements. In light of lack 
of  maturity  of  the  project  pipeline,  no  support  for  municipal  infrastructure  could  finally  be 
granted  by  the  Facility.  Therefore,  the  Special  Measure35  adopted  in  July  201636,  was 
modified twice in 2017. The modifications as approved by the Committee of the Instrument 
for Pre-accession Assistance followed the same principles as the original Special Measure. 

Furthermore,  due  to  a  lower  than  expected  number  of  returnees,  the  Special  Measure  on 
returns,  adopted  in  April  201637,  was  modified  to  improve  the  capacity  of  the  Turkish 
Directorate-General  for  Migration  Management  to  manage,  receive  and  host  migrants  and 
returnees, especially as regards human resources and infrastructure. The scope of the Special 
Measure was increased to cover all migrants returning from the EU.  

In  addition  to  the  allocation  managed  directly  through  the  Instrument  for  Pre-accession 
Assistance  38,  the  non-humanitarian  side  of  the  Facility  supports  a  series  of  bottom-up 
measures  through  15  projects  for  a  total  of  EUR  293  million  under  the  EU  Regional  Trust 
Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis.  

The  breakdown  of  allocations  per  priority  area,  excluding  humanitarian  assistance,  is  as 
follows: 

Since the majority of contracts were signed towards the end of 2017, implementation of most 
projects started only in 2018. However, some projects have already had a significant impact 
on the ground.  

33 For one project the countersignature is still pending. 
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. 
35  Article  2(1)  of  the  Common  Implementing  Regulation  applicable  to  the  Instrument  for  Pre-accession 
Assistance  allows  the  Commission  to  adopt  Special  Measures  in  duly  justified  cases.  Special  Measures  are 
adopted  with  a  favourable  opinion  of  the  Committee  of  the  Instrument  for  Pre-accession  Assistance  and 
communicated to the European Parliament and the Member States. 
36  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. 
37  C(2016)  2435  Commission  Implementing  Decision  of  19.04.2016  adopting  a  Special  Measure  on  migrants 
returned to Turkey, to be financed from the General Budget of the European Union. 
38 Funds from the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance under the Facility are managed in accordance with the 
rules  for  external  action  contained  in  Title  IV  of  part  two  of  the  Financial  Regulation  and  its  Rules  of 
Application. For more details, see the firstAnnual Report on the Facility. 

9 

 
 
 
                                                            
Education 

The  EU  is  supporting  all  stages  of  the  education  system,  from  early  childhood  to  higher 
education, in order not to lose a generation of young people. 

The  main  pillar  of  the  Facility  assistance  to  education  under  the  Facility  is  the  "Promoting 
Integration of Syrian Children into Turkish Education System" project39, a EUR 300 million 
direct  grant  with  the  Turkish  Ministry  of  National  Education  to  promote  the  integration  of 
Syrian children into the Turkish education system. Under this project, as of 31 October 2017, 
312,151 children have received Turkish language training by 5,486 Turkish language teachers 
employed  under  the  project.  93  Arabic  language  teachers  and  489  counsellors  were  also 
employed.  10,085  out-of-school  Syrian  children received  catch-up  training  to  facilitate  their 
entry  into  school  and  43,388  students  are  benefiting  from  on-going  back-up  training,  with 
32,351 benefitting from school transportation. The distribution of stationery and course books 
has  started  for  500,000  students.  The  aim  is  also  to  support  the  Ministry  and  increase  its 
implementation and management capacity. 

Education Facility-funded activities – both from the humanitarian strand of the Facility with 
the  Condition  Cash  Transfer  for  Education  and  education  in  emergencies,  and  the  non-
humanitarian  strand  –  by  non-governmental  organisations  and  United  Nations  agencies 
complement  the  "Promoting  Integration  of  Syrian  Children  into  Turkish  Education 
System"project.  Particular  attention  is  given  to  psychosocial  support  and  social  cohesion 
programmes.  The  United  Nations  Children's  Fund,  for  instance,  has  already  conducted  such 
programmes for over 35,000 children, adolescents and youth.  

To  provide  opportunities  for  refugees  in  higher  education,  332  students  are  receiving 
university scholarships through three projects and the number of supported pupils is planned 
to increase in the academic year 2018-2019.  

Facility  interventions  in  the  priority  area  of  education  have  a  short,  medium  and  long-term 
perspective.  With  the  support  of  Kreditanstalt  für  Wiederaufbau  and  the  World  Bank,  the 
construction and equipping of 125 solid structure and 50 prefabricated schools should benefit 
124,000 refugee children annually40. Construction of the first schools has started. 

Health 

The main pillar of Facility assistance in the priority area of health is the SIHHAT project, a 
EUR 300 million direct grant with the Turkish Ministry of Health to ensure refugees' access 
to  healthcare  services.  Under  the  SIHHAT  project,  as  of  31  December  2017,  12  Migrant 
Health  Centres  became  operational  to  improve  primary  healthcare  services.  813  staff  have 
been employed in these centres and in the 86 other centres already established by the Ministry 
prior  to  the start  of  the  project.  Refugees  have  benefitted  from  763,963  primary  health  care 
consultations  and  217,511  Syrian  refugee  infants  were  fully  vaccinated41.  The  SIHHAT 
project should provide rehabilitative mental health services for up to one million refugees. In 
addition, family planning, prevention of communicable diseases, recruitment and training of 
healthcare staff and outreach activities will be provided. 

39 PICTES stands for "Promoting Integration of Syrian Children into Turkish Education System". 
40 The contracts complement a similar project with Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau funded under the EU Trust 
Fund worth EUR 70 million, which falls outside the framework of the Facility. 
41 As of 31 October 2017. 

10 

 
 
                                                            
In  an  effort  to  facilitate  access  to  health  care  services  in  the  medium  and  long-term,  the 
implementation of two hospitals in Kilis and Hatay has started, with a capacity of 300 and 250 
beds respectively. 

Socio-economic support 

Socio-economic support plays a critical role in the integration of refugees into Turkish society 
and  fosters  much  needed  social  and  economic  cohesion.  As  the  language  barrier  is  a  major 
impediment  to  effective  integration,  the  Facility  is  providing  Turkish  language  classes  to 
refugees. 

To  improve  the  employability  and  labour  market  integration  of  refugees  and  vulnerable 
members of host communities, new projects will deliver vocational training to 15,100 people 
and 7,400 people will benefit from job search and counselling sessions. Entrepreneurship will 
be supported, through advisory support activities including through micro-grants. 

Institutional  support  for  employment  services  is  strengthening  the  capacity  of  the  Turkish 
employment agency to provide counselling and job assistance and the capacity of the Turkish 
Ministry of Labour and Social Policy's systems to monitor the provision of work permits and 
employment services. 

Facility-funded  community  centres  provide  an  extensive  range  of  services,  from  training 
courses  to  information  and  referral  services,  to  cultural  and  networking  events  in  order  to 
increase the resilience and self-reliance of refugees and host communities.  

Migration management  

The  Facility  has  covered  the  costs  incurred  in  the  management  of  returns  (transportation, 
hosting) of 212 Syrians and 1,076 non-Syrians, as well as logistical equipment and works on a 
removal centre for 750 people. From August 2017 to end-October, 16,733 migrants received 
Facility-funded assistance in removal centres. 

The  Facility  has  also  helped  increase  the  capacity  of  the  Turkish  Coast  Guard  to  carry  out 
search  and  rescue  operations.  Six  boats  were  delivered  and  939  Turkish  Coast  Guard  staff 
have been trained on humanitarian standards for sea border management. 

5. Monitoring & evaluation and audit 

5.1 Monitoring & evaluation 

The first draft of the Facility Results Framework was presented to the Steering Committee in 
March 2017, marking the start of the monitoring at Facility level. The first monitoring cycle 
was  launched  in  May  2017  as  a  pilot  exercise,  followed  by  three  further  cycles  in  2017.  In 
parallel,  the  Commission  adopted  a  EUR  14.3  million  Support  Measure  for  the  monitoring, 
evaluation, audit and communication of the Facility. 

The  monitoring  findings  were  presented  to  the  Steering  Committee  in  June  2017  and 
November 2017. The Results Framework is being revisited in line with the data received from 
the four monitoring cycles so to provide comprehensive updates to the Steering Committee in 
2018 and beyond. 

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The  Facility  monitoring  system  is  intended  to  be  technically  supported  by  an  online 
monitoring  platform  that  should  facilitate  data  aggregation  and  analysis42,  and  the 
visualisation of progress. The platform should be fully operational by mid-2018. 

In  parallel,  technical  assistance  is  being  mobilised  to  facilitate  the  integration  of  different 
components  of  the  monitoring  mechanism  and  to  support  the  on-the-spot  monitoring 
obligations contained in contracts under direct management.  

All  the  components  of  the  comprehensive  Facility  monitoring  system  should  be  fully 
operational in the course of 2018. As a next step, work on the evaluation of the Facility will 
start. 

5.2 Audit 

The European Court of Auditors officially launched its performance audit of the Facility on 
17 October 2017. Publication of the Court's final report is due by end-2018. The audit focuses 
on  the  complementarity  of  Facility  assistance,  its  delivery  and  monitoring,  and  a  sample  of 
humanitarian projects. 

The European Parliament and the Council exercise financial supervision over the Facility as it 
forms an integral part of the General Budget of the European Union. 

6. Communication and visibility 

From  the  very  beginning  of  the  Facility,  visibility  and  communication  have  been  key 
priorities.  The  Facility  is  central  in  conveying  the  message  of  the  EU's  continuing  strong 
support to refugees and host communities in Turkey.  

Cooperation  with  Turkish  institutions  is  very  good,  and  several  joint  high  level  visibility 
events, such as opening ceremonies with EU Commissioners, were successful. These events 
were extensively covered by international and Turkish media. For example, the launch of the 
SIHHAT  project  was  covered  by  over  100  articles  in  Turkish  media,  which  reached  7.7 
million  readers.  A  press  trip  together  with  a  ground  breaking  ceremony  of  prefabricated 
schools  took  place  in  the  Southeast  of  Turkey  in  November  2017  and  generated  extensive 
media coverage43.  

The Commission developed a communication strategy at the beginning of 2017. It serves as 
the overall framework for communication activities and tools produced under the Facility to 
date,  and  aims  to  enhance  the  visibility  of  Facility-funded  actions.  Since  the  roll-out  of  the 
strategy, a number of communication materials have been produced to illustrate the Facility's 
purpose and main activities. 
The Facility has a dedicated webpage44 which includes an interactive map showing projects 
implemented  to  date  and  a  detailed  descriptive  table  of  Facility  projects.  The  dedicated 
webpage45  of  the  EU  Delegation  has  received  approximately  4,890  page  views  since  its 
launch in January 2017. 

The  Commission  has  developed  a  variety  of  printed  and  online  communication  material. 
Newsletters  were  distributed  to  the  Steering  Committee,  and  info-cards  illustrating  Facility 

42 With a disaggregation by gender, age, disability (where possible and appropriate) and geographic location. 
43 More than 500 outlets reported on the visit.  
44 https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/news_corner/migration_en 
45 https://www.avrupa.info.tr/en/eu-response-refugee-crisis-turkey-710  

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activities  were  published  throughout  the  year  on  social  media.  EU  partners  and  EU  staff 
produced  36  blog  stories  and  some  54  videos  on  different  Facility  projects46.  Several  films 
have been prepared to promote Facility projects focusing on human interest stories, published 
on YouTube and shared on social media and the website of the EU Delegation in English and 
Turkish47. Several human interest videos are also produced and will be published on related 
occasions48. In addition, the Commission issued 21 press releases and the EU Delegation in 
Ankara issued another 19 locally49. Over 350 articles on the Facility have items appeared in 
Turkish printed and web-based media. 

7. Conclusion and next steps 

The  operational  envelope  of  the  Facility  for  Refugees  in  Turkey  has  been  fully  contracted. 
The Facility has already provided much needed assistance to refugees and host communities 
in the country. The next steps are the following: 

  Effective implementation of all Facility projects to benefit refugees and host communities, 

in line with the principles of sound financial management.  

  Full roll-out of the Facility monitoring system in 2018. 

  Roll-out of Facility communication activities.  

  Steering Committees at regular intervals. Next meeting is planned for spring 2018. 

46 For example, a Facility video featuring a child protection centre in Ankara reached more than 300,000 people. 
47 https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=qRVSqKYeZKE 
48 See for example : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57bSP91KqnY 
49 All Facility related press releases can be accessed through the European Commission 'Rapid' press release data 
base at: http://europa.eu/rapid/search.htm 

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