June 26, 2021 - 16:16 AMT
EU will allocate $3.6B to Turkey for refugee support until 2024

The European Union has pledged €3 billion in funding for Turkey to help it support the four million refugees it hosts, said Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, on Friday, June 25, according to Ahval.

“In the future, we plan to allocate an additional 3 billion euros to support refugees in Turkey until 2024,” said von der Leyen following a European Council Summit in Brussels.

“In addition, we will support Turkey to manage migration at its eastern border,” she said.

In 2016, Turkey and the EU agreed on a deal to cut the influx of Syrian refugees into Greece. Under the agreement, the EU promised 6 billion euro in aid to Turkey to be provided in two instalments, which would be used for projects to help migrants. Although Turkey has received the first instalment, the bloc has yet to fulfil the second.

Turkey has repeatedly accused the EU of failing to fulfil its promise to help it accommodate its enormous refugee population.

Following the latest summit on Turkey, EU leaders called on the European Commission “to put forward without delay formal proposals for the continuation of financing for Syrian refugees and host communities in Turkey.”

Europe’s leaders met on Thursday for a two-day European Council summit in Brussels.