European Commission boosts emergency assistance for asylum and migration by 275.5 M euro in 2016

The European Commission said on March 10 2016 that it was boosting emergency assistance to cope with the refugee and migrant crisis by 275.5 million euro for 2016.

The Commission said that it had adopted modifications to the work programmes for 2016, increasing the financing for emergency assistance of the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) and the Internal Security Fund (ISF) by the additional 275.5 million euro.

To finance the additional emergency funding, AMIF and ISF funds foreseen in the EU’s budget for 2016, which had not yet been allocated, will be used, the Commission said.

The increase of the emergency funding follows the conclusions of the European Council of February 18 and 19 2016, calling for urgent action to address the humanitarian situation in Greece and along the Western Balkans, using all available EU and national means to alleviate it.

The original budget of 188.98 million euro for emergency assistance under AMIF and ISF for 2016 has now been reinforced with a further 193.5 million euro for AMIF and 82 million euro for ISF to a total of 464 million euro for 2016 to address the most urgent funding needs of EU countries in the context of the refugee crisis, the Commission said.

Separately, the European Commission said that it welcomed the fast agreement that EU member states had reached on its proposal for an Emergency Assistance instrument to provide faster means of support to EU countries facing major humanitarian crises, such as dealing with large numbers of refugees.

The positive support came just one week after the Commission put forward the proposal to provide 700 million euro over the next three years to EU countries “whose own response capacities are overwhelmed by urgent and exceptional circumstances”.

(Photo, of the Idomeni refugee camp in Greece: Jamie Dettmer/VOA)

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