BRUSSELS (Sputnik) — The EU is expected to contract all 3 billion euros ($3.5 billion) from a special fund to support refugees in Turkey by the end of 2017, EU Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos said Wednesday.
"In Turkey, the EU is well on track to contract the 3 billion [euro] under the Facility for Refugees by the end of 2017. One million of the most vulnerable Syrian refugees are now receiving monthly electronic cash transfers, and almost two million will soon be able to benefit from healthcare," Avramopoulos said.
The deal was reached by Brussels and Ankara in March 2016 amid the dire migration crisis the European Union is facing. In return for Turkey’s assistance, the European Union vowed to accelerate the Turkish EU accession bid, introduce a visa-free regime, as well as provide financial aid to Turkey to cover the costs of migrant reception.
