EU – funds to help Southern Neighbourhood regions
The EU mobilised more than 440 million of euros to help countries in the Southern Mediterranean
Neighbourhood policy
The EU mobilised a substantial assistance package worth 235,7 million of euros, through the European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI), in order to:
- support bilateral cooperation that will benefit citizens in Egypt, Lebanon and Palestine (162 million of euros);
- improve cooperation at regional level (73,7 million of euros) by helping to address regional challenges requiring a common approach such as migration, job creation and socio-economic inclusion.
“This investment will further support institution-building and the protection of citizen’s rights, while also tackling major regional challenges such as migration and the integration of civil society in political dialogue”, Johannes Hahn, Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, said.
GAMM and EU Regional Trust Fund
The total amount of on-going EU support on migration in the EU's Southern Neighbourhood region amounts to approximately 192 million of euros. It is framed within the Global Approach on Migration and Mobility (GAMM), adopted in 2011, which provides the general framework for the EU engagement in migration in the EU’s Southern Neighbourhood.
The EU Regional Trust Fund, instead, was established in December 2014 to mobilise more aid in response to the Syrian Crisis. The first action was launched in Turkey in order to help 240,000 Syrian refugees with:
- inclusive and quality education and psycho-sociological support for 200,000 Syrian refugee children living in Turkey (12,5 million of euros),
- monthly food vouchers for 41,000 Syrians residing in three camps (5 million of euros).
These actions will concretely contribute to the implementation of the EU regional strategy for Syria, Iraq as well as the ISIL/ Da’esh threat adopted by the Council of the European Union on 16 March.
Photo credit: edbrambley / Foter / CC BY-SA
