Germany reaffirms EU pledge for assistance to Turkey

By Ayhan Simsek

BERLIN

Germany on Wednesday reaffirmed EU’s pledge for an additional €3 billion ($3.72 billion) assistance for Syrian refugees in Turkey as part of a 2016 deal.

Speaking at a news conference in Berlin, the government’s deputy spokeswoman said EU members were currently discussing ways to provide the pledged amount.

“The European Commission has submitted a proposal on March 14 on the finance of this second €3 billion tranche. Consultations continue within the EU at the moment,” Ulrike Demmer said.

“There is no dispute on whether or not to make this payment,” she said, and added that EU member states were mainly discussing ways and methods for delivering the money.

In March 2016, EU and Turkey reached an agreement to stop irregular migration through the Aegean Sea, and improve the conditions of more than 3 million Syrian refugees in Turkey.

The EU pledged €6 billion ($7.44 billion) funding for Syrian refugees in Turkey, and promised to mobilize the second €3 billion ($3.72 billion) tranche by the end of 2018.

The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, had proposed to mobilize €1 billion ($1.23 billion) from the EU budget, and called on 28 member states to allocate the remaining €2 billion ($2.46 billion) from their national budgets.