Syrian refugees in Turkey will be able to benefit from a €149.6 million fund approved by the EU ambassadors.

In a press release issued by the Council on Wednesday, September 29, it was announced that the fund has been allocated to 3.7 million refugees in Turkey to cover their essential needs such as rent, transport, bills, food and medicine,  SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

“After formal approval of the Council next week, this draft amending budget for 2021 will wait for the approval of the European Parliament,” the press release notifies.

According to the European Commission’s midterm evaluation, presented in July, the financial assistance offered to Syrians and other refugees has been vital for these category’s welfare. Since March 2016, the EU has allocated about €6 billion to support refugees in Turkey. Moreover, the EU budget is expected to mobilize another €3 billion until 2023 for refugees and other communities in Turkey.

“Ten years into the Syrian conflict, our partners in the region still carry the lion’s share of the burden. It is our collective challenge to protect the refugees and support their hosts,” the President of EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen said.

This assistance offered by the EU seems to have left Syrians’ content, as 66 per cent of them have claimed they don’t consider returning to their home country. According to The Day After (TDA) findings, 1,600 Syrian respondents in Germany, France, Netherlands and Sweden said they would not return to Syria. The same approach was detected in Syrians living in Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq.

A United Nations Higher Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) study revealed that 90 per cent of 3,201 Syrian respondents said they didn’t intend to return to Syria at least during the next 12 months. The lack of work opportunities, safety and security, and housing-related concerns were the top reasons Syrian respondents listed for their unwillingness to return to their home country.

Moreover, the “Syria: Situation of returnees from abroad” report by the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) revealed that 10,000 Syrians applied for international protection from the EU only during the first two months of 2021. This is the highest number of applications from Syria since 2016. The report also reveals that from September 2020 to February 2021, the number of Syrians seeking asylum in the EU has doubled compared to the six previous months.

SchengenVisaInfo