COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Seventh Annual Report of the Facility for Refugees in Turkey
Date: 2023-09-22
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, 22.9.2023  COM(2023) 543 final  COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Seventh Annual Report of the Facility for Refugees in Turkey  
 
 
Contents 
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. 

1.1. 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 

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 http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2016/03/18-eu-turkey-statement/ 

1 

 
 
 
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. 

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. 

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. 

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 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 

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 

2 

 
 
 
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 

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 http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2016/03/18-eu-turkey-statement/ 

3 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 

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. 

4 

 
 
 
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.  

23 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/. 
24  https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2018/06/29/facility-for-refugees-in-turkey-member-
states-agree-details-of-additional-funding/  

5 

 
 
 
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.  

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. 

6 

 
 
 
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:  

Amount committed

41%

Development Assistance

59%

Humanitarian
Assistance

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 

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.  

7 

 
 
 
 
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.  

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. 

8 

 
 
 
 
 
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.  

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+) 

9 

 
 
 
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 

10 

 
 
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 

36 ‘Strengthening Health Infrastructure for All’ 
37 https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20200706IPR82727/meps-approve-EU585-million-to-
support-syrian-refugees-in-neighbouring-countries  

11 

 
 
 
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 

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. 

12 

 
 
 
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. 

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  

13 

 
 
 
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.  

Events, ceremonies and media presence 

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  

14